


Ace of Hearts

by Magestorrow



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Completely LGBTQ+ Cast, Multi, Reverse Harem, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-02-01 08:36:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 29,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12701280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magestorrow/pseuds/Magestorrow
Summary: Minecraft is Charlotte's secret passion. She's spent the past years of her life quietly building an escape from the unavoidable loneliness in her classes, and her popular server Home is her most recent accomplishment. Her secret world could never heal the wounds the real world has given her, and she's given up hoping that it someday would. But then the supposedly fictional world of Minecraft begins to spill over into her town, and Charlotte suddenly finds herself wrapped up in the lives of three boys that come from the world she's always wanted to be a part of.(This story is set up to be a reverse harem, but will purposefully subvert the tropes associated with it.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warning!
> 
> This chapter does contain nudity. However, it only goes as far as noting that there are naked characters. If you're comfortable with that, keep on reading.
> 
> Thank you for reading the first chapter of this story! I hope you enjoy it. This is the first Minecraft fic I've posted on here, but I've written other ones on Fanfiction before now. Please let me know what you think of it in the comments! I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts about the events that transpire in this chapter

### Chapter 1

#### Charlotte

There was a boy in her bedroom.

He was both a complete stranger and strikingly familiar. His light brown hair only went down to his shoulders. The fingers that grabbed onto the door frame were tanned and calloused. His outfit was simplistic, yet oddly stylish. His blue shirt and jeans perfectly fit his muscular and tall build. All of these little details meant something, but she couldn't figure out what.

His presence in her room also served as another enigma, for she clearly remembered locking all of the doors the night before. Had she forgotten to lock one? And if she had, why had this boy decided to break in? Though he looked incredibly intimidating as he silently looked out into the hallway, he didn't seem like he was carrying any sort of weapon.

She slowly pushed the covers back.

The boy didn't hear her.

She gently placed one foot on the ground. When he kept his back turned to her, she eagerly placed the other down. The floorboards creaked underneath the sudden weight, and she held her breath as the boy spun around.

A pair of glowing white eyes was staring at her.

As she remained by her bed and he by the door, her mind raced to come up with an explanation. It must have been all of the jokes she had made on those forums. If it wasn't, it was how she kept pointing out that he had never been removed. Although both of those could have earned her this fate, that Halloween event she had held on her server only a few weeks ago probably didn't help.

She opened her mouth to make some sort of noise. Whether it was the whimper or scream, she wasn't sure. But before she could make her thoughts on his appearance known, two boys quickly appeared in the doorway.

The smaller boy was approximately her height. His hair was a bright shade of light green. While her hair was also an unusual, his looked oddly healthy. He eagerly watched her with eyes the color of milk chocolate, and, when he realized she was watching him back, he began to hop from one foot to the other. His actions were like those of a child.

At first glance, the other boy seemed like he could have been a man. He towered above Herobrine, though his limbs were lithe. His raven locks of hair went past his waist and were shockingly neat for hair of that length. He had a terrifying set of fangs, but his light blue eyes held an intelligence fictional vampires never had.

And both of the newcomers were completely naked.

“There's a player here!” the smaller boy exclaimed. “Are we going to kill them, Hero?”

Should she be more worried about their lack of clothing or the possibility that she was about to die? While the second option was the more problematic of the two, she couldn't figure out why they would be completely naked. It made no sense. Even if they had come here with Herobrine, they would have been wearing clothes prior to that point.

Herobrine shook his head.

The boy's shoulders slumped. “But they're a _player_.”

“I think we're the outsiders here,” his companion argued. hen Herobrine looked unconvinced, he walked over to her windows and carefully opened the curtains. Light flooded the room. Cars rushed by on the nearby street. Kids raced each other on their bikes and scooters. There was even a woman walking her dog.

It was a normal thing to see on a Saturday, but it made Herobrine rush to the window. 

As he got closer, he slowed to a walk. He cautiously approached the window. When he arrived at it, he stared out it for several minutes. The other boy joined him by the window. Herobrine eventually went to press his hands on the glass, but the sound of a plane flying over the house made him jump back in alarm. His attention returned back to her. He gave her an accusing look, as if she was somehow responsible for what had startled him. 

“Where are we?” he demanded.

Indignation swelled up from within her. How could he be ordering her around when _he_ was the one who had suddenly shown up in her house? They didn't even know each other. He couldn't tell her what to do!

“I should be the one asking the questions!” she angrily protested. The first boy's eyes widened at the sound of her voice. “You're the ones who showed up in my house! And while that's bad enough, two of you guys are completely naked!”

She took a deep breath and glared at the intruders. Had she just signed her death warrant? She probably had. God, she was so stupid! She was only a junior. She had some many opportunities ahead of her, but she had thrown them all away because she had yelled at the most terrifying legend the gaming world had ever seen!

The three boys looked at each other.

And then they screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

### Chapter 2

#### Charlotte

Their screams inevitably came to an end, and an unsettling silence soon took their place. This, combined with the utter looks of horror on the faces of her three intruders, left her with a great deal of confusion. Try as she might to explain their actions, she couldn't. Herobrine, at the very least, held more power than she did. He could easily wreck havoc on her little suburban town. What could possibly inspire such a level of fear?

The three had all huddled together. They had begun frantically whispering words she couldn't make out, only to stop when the smallest of them burst into tears. The other boy was quick to comfort him. Herobrine, meanwhile, still managed to look absolutely livid and also incredibly uncomfortable. It was a feat in itself. He glanced back over at her. Narrowing his eyes into a glare, it was all too clear that he blamed her.

And then the tallest boy gave a cry of alarm. He jumped back and stared down at himself, only lifting his head to look at the other intruders. She had never seen such a terrified look on someone's face. It was even more defined than the one he had given only moments ago.

“Hero,” he whispered. “I-I can't change back.”

Herobrine turned to look at him. The expression on his face softened. “Take a deep breath, Lorcan,” he advised in a surprisingly gentle tone, “and don't let yourself get flustered by what's going on-”

He was interrupted by the sound of his smaller companion sobbing even louder than before. Herobrine spun around to face the crying boy, who looked as if someone had just died. “I'm stuck! I don't want to be stuck!”

Now even Herobrine was beginning to grow worried; she could see it in the way he hurriedly looked from one boy to the other, and how silent he was in the minute that followed. Even Lorcan, who she assumed was the tallest boy, had succumbed to the urge to cry. She should have been terrified by the three of them. That much she was sure of. So why did she oddly feel sorry about the plight they were apparently facing?

Herobrine took to look at her. He had once again narrowed his eyes into a glare, and the look on his face suggested that he was on the verge of draining all life from her body. She was gripped by a paralyzing wave of fear as he stormed over to her. They were less than a foot apart now. He held out a single hand at his side. Was it a trick of the light, or was it actually shaking? She waited for his attack. There was nothing she could do to stop him; not when she had been reduced to a trembling mess.

But nothing happened.

He looked down at his hand.

Then he looked back up at her. “You took my magic.”

She shook her head in denial. She didn't even know what magic he was talking about, so how could she take it in the first place? 

He looked unconvinced by her response. “You took my magic,” he repeated, taking a large step away from her. He looked back at the sobbing boys behind them. Then he came even closer to her than he had been before. He grabbed the collar of her shirt – with hands that were almost certainly shaking – and hoisted her off of the bed. “Give it back!” 

Her hands clawed at his wrists. He flinched as her nails met bare skin, but refused to let go. Her protest was quiet and weak, and she knew even before she spoke that it would fail to sway his opinion. “I don't know what you're talking about.” 

“We went through that strange rift and ended up here. I had my magic before then,” he argued. 

His grip tightened. She wasn't gasping for air yet, but her feet were barely touching the ground. She needed to figure out a way to get out of this! She couldn't run away from him; he surely had the upper hand in the physical department. She would have to figure out something soon if she wanted to survive. Escaping was the first step. If she did that, then she would have enough time to enact whatever plan she came up with on the fly.

“I can't summon my sword,” he continued, gesturing back with his free hand, “and they're stuck as players.”

The two boys in question sobbed even harder.

“I don't know,” she said. Her bare feet brushed against the side of her bed. Resting on just the very edge of its side frame, she regained some control. She was no longer at his mercy as she hung helpless. Once she figured out to break his strong grip, she would be free. 

But then he let her go.

She fell back onto her bed. Absentmindedly rubbing the spots where she had scratched him with his hand, he made his way back to the two boys. There was a completely blank look to his face the entire time. “I don't think we're going home,” he gravely informed them. He glanced over his shoulder at her, only to look away moments later. “We've stayed here long enough, so let's go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Please let me know what you think of it! I love writing the dynamics between the characters, and Charlotte's confusion is entertaining to write about.


	3. Chapter 3

### Chapter 3

#### Charlotte

“You can't go.”

Herobrine turned to look at her. The words had come out of her mouth before she had even thought them through, and she struggled to understand why she felt so strongly about it. They had only caused her problems since they had arrived in her house. Logic said that her life would immediately be better the moment they left her life.

So why did she want them to stay?

He crossed his arms. “Why?”

She pointed at the boys behind him. “They're naked. You can't just bring them out into the street. Even if you three were alright with that, you'd be leaving _my_ house. I don't want people to think strangely of me.” They already did, but the answer seemed to satisfy both her confusion and his question. 

A heavy sigh left his lips. She was right, and he knew it. He glanced at her outfit, and then at the dresser in the corner of the room. “Could you stand next to Second?” he asked. It was surprisingly phrased as a question and not a command.

She hesitantly got to her feet. If Lorcan was the tall one, Second had to be the other one. She started to walk over to him. He quickly ducked behind Lorcan, only to come out when Herobrine ordered him to. His frantic sobs had been replaced by an uncontrollable trembling, but he still looked absolutely miserable as she stood beside him.

“Second is the same height as you, and your pajamas are androgynous,” Herobrine stated. Without any form of warning, he grabbed onto her wrist. Like before, it was impossible to break free of his strong grasp. She was forced to let him do whatever he had planned. She grit her teeth. While Second and Lorcan seemed like perfectly good people, she absolutely despised Herobrine. 

He stopped in front of the dresser. Letting her go, he pointed at it. “You must have more masculine clothes in there,” he surmised. He didn't touch any of the drawers. “Underwear might be an issue, but you probably have a pair of boxers to sleep in when it's warmer.”

Surprised, she managed to nod. How had he guessed that? It was a difficult thing to surmise from just a single look at a person's pajamas, but he seemed content with what she had. “Lorcan is taller than me, though,” she pointed out. They would need to figure out a more creative solution to his plight.

Herobrine thought for a moment. “Does your father live here?”

“He does,” she said. 

Even before Herobrine abruptly headed out into her hallway, she knew what his train of thought was. It was easy to pass him in the hallway. Grabbing onto his wrist – and feeling oddly smug now that the tables had turned – she brought him to her father's barely used bedroom. She pointed at his dresser with her free hand. 

“His clothes should fit Lorcan.”

Herobrine looked down at her. His face was unreadable, though the light of his glowing eyes dimmed. Did that mean something, or was she just imagining the difference? “Good.”

“We have to do something about your eyes, too,” she added.

“My eyes?”

She nodded. “No one has glowing eyes.”

“ _I_ have glowing eyes.”

“You're not from here,” she argued, crossing her arms and giving him an exasperated look. How had he not grasped that yet? They had already established that planes, for whatever reason, terrified him and that he had suddenly lost whatever magic he had before coming through that rift he had mentioned. “You're from a video game, and those don't count.”

“A _what_ -”

Lorcan poked his head into the room. “I'm sorry to bother you two, but could you please get clothes for Second first? He's still really upset, and I think it might make him feel better to get something new.” Her heart melted at the question. It was obvious that Lorcan had been crying on his way down to the bedroom; his eyes were still red and his cheeks were moist. If he was able to put his worries aside for Second, they were almost certainly close. 

Herobrine gave her a look that clearly said they would finish their conversation later. Then he joined Lorcan in the hallway, and, after she walked over to them, they returned to her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! Charlotte's complete disdain for Herobrine is incredibly fun to write, and I also love writing the boys trying to adjust to what's going on. The next few chapters are when I'll finally get into a clear explanation of what's happened, so please bear with me until then. 
> 
> Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think of it so far! I'd also love to hear who your favorite character is at the moment, and which of the boys you like the best.


	4. Chapter 4

### Chapter 4

#### Herobrine

They had spent the past hour picking out the perfect outfits for Second and Lorcan. While their spirits had improved greatly now that they had clothes, he found it difficult to be as elated as they were. He could only allow himself a brief smile. He had to protect them. He was certain of that. Standing in the corner of the room, he crossed his arms. Was his fate beginning to unfold right before his eyes? 

He looked at the girl who had been so kind to them. She was in the middle of helping Second tie his shoes, Lorcan frantically offering to do it at her side. She looked up. Her brown eyes briefly met his own. Terrified at the implications of such a look, he quickly glanced away. It was bad enough that he had gotten his friends into this mess; he wasn't going to drag her into it too.

“We should go now-” he started.

“Sunglasses,” she was quick to interrupt. She mirrored his crossed arms, adding in a tapping foot for good measure. “You're not leaving like that, Herobrine.”

He opened his mouth to protest.

“And I want you to give me an explanation,” she added.

His shoulders slumped. So much for a quick exit. At the very least, he could get some information out of her. Even some simple facts about where they were would be helpful. He just had to make that clear. “I will if you give me one.”

She hesitated. “Fine.”

“Good.”

Lorcan met his eyes and sighed.

**~v~**

They awkwardly sat down at the sole table in the house. It was cluttered with what looked like stray pieces of paper and books, but their host quickly moved everything to the nearby couch. Lorcan and Second preferred to eat in their natural forms, and his couches were adequate for when they needed somewhere to sit down. She slid into the seat across from him. He narrowed his eyes and looked her over. It was strange. Though it was less evident than with Second and Lorcan, it seemed like she rarely sat here with other people. What kind of life did she live? 

“What's your name?” he started. He rested his arms on the table and expectantly waited for a response. 

She stayed stubbornly silent.

“Tell me your name,” he said, this time with more urgency. A horrified look briefly passed on her face. Had he gone a step too far? He just wanted to know what to call her. It seemed wrong to just refer to her as “the girl”. Lorcan glanced at the two of them, and Second rested his head on the table. Her obvious fear had made them all uneasy. They were never meant to be the perpetrators of such a heinous crime. _They_ were the reason she was afraid. It was meant to be the other way around. 

“It's Charlotte Hart,” she finally admitted.

Second popped his head up. “Mine's Jerry Slimer the Second, but I go by Second!” He looked over at Lorcan; he had been the one to first give him the nickname, according to the little Herobrine knew of their past. 

Lorcan gave a small smile. “The name I use is Lorcan. My old owner used to call me that, and I took a liking to it.” 

“Herobrine,” he said. She already knew it, anyways. 

That was the source of his confusion. How could someone like her know of someone like him? He had been making a name for himself since he had focused explored the surface, but this world wasn't like his. They were somewhere else, but where could they possibly be? It wasn't like there was a multitude of worlds out there. 

Charlotte looked over at Lorcan. While she had been giving Herobrine an absolutely evil look, her expression softened upon hearing what Lorcan had said. “Owner?” she gently questioned, taking in his appearance. 

He nodded.

She furrowed her brow. Looking over at Second, she said, “Your name is a little different than what I'm used to, Second. Did you have an...owner too?”

“I did! Lorcan rescued me from her.” 

Herobrine ducked his head down and stared at the table. He hated hearing them speak of that part of their pasts; it made him feel nauseous every time. He couldn't have possibly helped them back then, but he desperately wished he could have.

“She was nice,” Second reminisced, a pleasant look appearing on his face. He met Charlotte's worried gaze. “I remember when she first properly named me – she gave me a name tag and everything. But that life wasn't right for me, and Lorcan helped me realize that.”

His hands shook. “I doubt you would be able to understand that,” Herobrine assumed. He briefly glanced up at Charlotte, narrowing his eyes into the best glare he could muster. He was absolutely terrified of her. “You're a player, Charlotte. It's your nature to hurt and destroy.”

She glared back at him. “You're Herobrine.”

“And?” he questioned. He could barely keep his voice steady. He had done so much good for the people of his world. If she was so quick to judge him, what did she possibly know about his past?

“You're the one whose supposed to do that-”

“Be quiet!” He had gotten to his feet, hands clenched at his sides as he watched her. The words had struck closer to home than she could have possibly realized. “You don't know what you're talking about!”

She flinched at the sound of his voice. Whether it was out of obliviousness or a deluded sense of bravery, she spoke again. “I do! You're the one who hurts and destroys, Herobrine.”

“I'm leaving.”

She got to her feet. “You can't!”

“I'm not stupid enough to leave the house,” he promised, already heading towards the door. “I just don't want to talk to someone like you right now.” He left. She didn't follow. As he ran towards the one place he considered safe – which was ironically her bedroom – he could already hear Lorcan speaking.

He slammed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I hoped you enjoyed seeing the story from Herobrine's perspective. I think the next chapter will either be from Lorcan or Charlotte's perspective, but I'm honestly not sure. Herobrine's fun because Charlotte sees him one way and he thinks completely different. It nice getting to capture that in this chapter. Please let me know what you think of it! I love reading reviews and seeing people's theories + what they loved.


	5. Chapter 5

### Chapter 5

#### Charlotte

It was impossible to discern if it was her terror at the conversation that had just transpired or her euphoria that she was still alive after enraging Herobrine that made her tremble. His reaction was unlike the ones he had previously shown. There had been a distant attitude to everything he had said and done up until the breaking point. Then something had caused him to snap. His emotions had revealed the person he really was, and that person was even more terrifying than she could have anticipated.

The movement of her muscles were mechanical as she sat back down. Lorcan started to say something, but it was drowned out by the sound of a door slamming shut. She closed her eyes tight. Her shaking fingers tapped the wood of the table. She tried to ignore her racing heart, but the slam reverberated in her mind. 

Wood scraped against the floor.

She opened her eyes.

Second had gotten to his feet. He was pointing out into the hallway, though it wasn't in the direction of her room. His eyes were moist. It was the look of someone on the verge of tears, but no tears rolled down his cheeks.

“I-I need to use the bathroom,” he said.

Lorcan hurried to his feet. “Second, it's-”

“I really need to go,” he weakly protested. He met her gaze, and her heart broke at the sight that greeted her. “Can you please tell me where your bathroom is, Charlotte?”

She gave him the instructions.

Then she was left with Lorcan.

He returned to his chair. He glanced at her and then at the doorway, an almost hopeful air to him as he eagerly leaned forward. But when no one came, he slumped in his chair. His eyes dulled. He bit his lip. She was both fascinated and horrified to see little droplets of blood form as his fangs punctured his lips, only for him to absentmindedly lick it with his tongue.

He looked back at her.

She gulped.

“Charlotte, I'm not a vampire.”

She eyed his fangs.

“I'm not sure how much the truth would comfort you, so please just take my word on that.” A heavy sigh left his lips. After another moment, he rested his elbows on the table. It took all of her resolve not to jerk back. “We have more important things to talk about.”

“Like what?”

He gestured at the empty seats. “Second and Hero.”

She nodded. That was something she could agree with. Even if she doubted Lorcan's promise that he wasn't a vampire – there was too much of a similarity for that not to be the case – she needed to avoid angering Herobrine again. It seemed like it was in both of their best interests to prevent such an outcome from occurring.

“Second gets upset when he hears people raise their voices. He especially hates it when the people yelling are ones he likes.” There was a pleading look to his stunning blue eyes. “So please don't get angry like that unless you have to.”

She looked at the doorway, guilt already clawing at her. She had her suspicions when Second had left, and Lorcan's words only confirmed them. “It's hard to prevent something like that in the moment.”

“I know,” he softly said. 

She turned her attention back to him. Unsure of how to reply to his comment, she decided to shift the topic of the conversation. She would just have to be mindful of her emotions the next time she was around Second. “And what about Herobrine? What's his problem?”

“You already know.”

She shook her head. “No, I don't. You said that we needed to talk about him, so I thought you realized that.”

He crossed his arms. “Then what were you referring to?”

“His griefing, I guess?” She shrugged, suddenly not quite sure of it herself. It was hard to pinpoint something that had seemed so clear when she had been under the influence of her terror-clouded mind. “He's destroyed a lot of houses, and there's all those rumors about how he's supposed to kill players away from the game...”

Lorcan furrowed his brow. “Game?”

“You're from a video-” She paused. Maybe it would be better to explain it after she got an idea of what was going on? At the very least, she could possibly get away with only having to give that explanation once to all three of them. “Never mind. What's the deal with Herobrine?”

He still looked confused, but he seemed to accept her dismissal of the question.

“The problem is something that hasn't happened yet,” he vaguely said. He ducked his head. “Hero should be the one telling you this. I don't think I have the right to talk about something so private.”

“He can't hear us from my room,” she pointed out.

He shook his head. “Hero's one of my best friends. I'm not worried about his reaction.”

It was strange to think that someone like Herobrine could be held up so highly by someone else. Her heart boiled with a fierce jealously; if only _she_ could have that same connection with someone. To see that Herobrine, someone who caused harm wherever he went, was rewarded with friendship while she suffered was as unfair as the universe could get.

“When Hero was born,” he finally said, “a prophecy was given. The prophecy foretold of a child of darkness. It was said that this child would destroy Minecraftia.”

That made sense, didn't it? Herobrine was fated to be the villain; it was what she had accepted as a reality for years. His actions since they had met reaffirmed this belief. 

“So then what?”

“They eventually discovered his powers and realized that he had to be the child foretold in the prophecy. They knew they had to do something. To kill a child would be a crime. They decided to lock him deep underground so he could never cause harm.”

It was how her stories always said to deal with a threat like that, but it left a bitter taste in her mouth. He had just been a kid then. Even if he was a horrible person now, that wasn't right. She couldn't accept an action like that.

Lorcan's voice wavered. “Second and I didn't mean to find him. We fell down into his chamber. Our injuries would have killed us in a matter of minutes, but he healed us as soon as he saw our broken bodies.” He glanced up at her. There was that same, caring look to his eyes that had been there when he had been talking about Second. “He seems intimidating, but I promise he's not. Why do you think he slammed that door earlier?”

“He's mad at me,” she quickly replied, though her answer was somewhat hesitant. “He's fuming away in my room right now.”

He shook his head again. “Guess again.”

“...Is he crying?”

Lorcan nodded.

And, in that moment, she was almost able to believe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I enjoy writing any chapter that has a major focus on Lorcan. Out of all the characters in this fic, he's been around the longest. Writing about him is like chatting with an old friend. I know I already asked this in a previous author's note, but who is your favorite character? Has it changed since the last time you replied? I feel like this chapter did a better job at talking about each character than the ones that came before it, so I'm curious to see what your thoughts are.


	6. Chapter 6

### Chapter 6

#### Charlotte

She quietly made her way down the hallway to her room. Lorcan's words rung out in her head, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to believe them. She glanced over her shoulder. Lorcan was now standing in front of the bathroom door. He was uttering words she couldn't make out in a soft and gentle tone, trying to coax Second into opening the door. Her heart felt heavy when she looked away.

She eventually stopped in front of her door. She raised a hand to open the door, but only could rest it on the doorknob. She was terrified. She had offered to talk to him. Second needed Lorcan, and Herobrine couldn't wait alone. But if he was still crying, would he attack her because she saw him when he was weak? Lorcan's words seemed sincere, but how was she supposed to trust the promises of a stranger? 

She took a deep breath. Herobrine didn't have a weapon, and she knew the layout of the house better than he did. She could always improvise. Her grip on the doorknob tightened. She started to turn it. There was movement from inside the room; it sounded like Herobrine had been sitting in front of the door.

The door opened.

Herobrine stared at her.

Even though he was much taller than her, he suddenly looked small and afraid. His lips quivered, and he kept his hands at his sides. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks. He sniffled when he saw it was her, but didn't try to wipe the tears away. She was overcome by the overwhelming urge to hug him. 

He peered over her shoulder. “Where's Second and Lorcan?” he asked. It didn't come out as a demand. It sounded weak and helpless, almost like a lost child looking for their parents.

“Second got upset when he heard us raise our voices, so Lorcan's comforting him.” 

His eyes widened. “I-I forgot that he gets upset about that.”

Unsure of how to reply, she nodded.

He took a hesitant step back and sat down on her bed. When he looked up at her, he was crying even harder than he was before. She should have found this to be relieving. If he was reacting in this way, it meant that he wasn't going to hurt her. Yet seeing him so upset broke her heart. No one – not even Herobrine – deserved to cry that much.

“I'm sorry,” she said. 

He eyed the box of tissues on her nightstand. When she didn't seem to object to what he was asking, he reached out and grabbed a handful of them. He blew his nose. Though he had several tissues in his hands, he wiped away his tears with his arm. “Why?”

“Lorcan told me about the prophecy,” she admitted. “About how you've been alone for awhile, and how people didn't like you because they were scared of what made you different.”

He blew his nose again. “...You already knew that.”

She shook her head. “I was talking about something else. I couldn't get angry at you for something like that. I wasn't cast away by other people the same way you were, but I know what it feels like to be alone and hurting.” She held out a shaking hand. “So I'm really sorry for what I said.”

After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed it.

“You're not like other players,” he suddenly said. 

He got back to his feet and looked around the room, his gaze eventually landing on her. He was studying her. The action may have seemed intimidating prior to the conversation with Lorcan, but now she could discern the true reason for what he was doing. 

“I still can't understand how you can be so...” He struggled to find the word. “...good.”

“That's what I've been thinking about you,” she said, crossing her arms in contemplation. How could they share a similar view when it suggested that there was a problem with at least one of them? 

He narrowed his eyes. “Why?” 

“You kill players-”

“You respawn.”

“You burn houses-”

“You rebuild them.”

“You just cause trouble for players in general-”

“But you're the ones causing trouble in the first place!” Herobrine replied, exasperated. “You suddenly arrived one day and started destroying Minecraftia. You didn't care about our ecosystems, and you slaughtered everything you could. I wasn't around to see the start of the devastation. Lorcan and Second were. Do you know how terrified they were when it first started? Players were the monsters under your bed – assuming that you had one. You couldn't kill them. They had no emotions and would never listen to reason.” 

A horrible feeling began to settle in her chest.

Herobrine, oblivious to her inner conflict, continued on with the same frustration in his voice. “Lorcan was the one who first suggested we try doing something to stop you. We'd play your game. You'd be scared of us and never come back. We burned your houses. We killed you. We even infiltrated those games you all play so we could see what we were up against! We were the only ones who still believed in a future for Minecraftia. An entire world lost hope in itself because of you.”

His frustration had turned to anger, but she couldn't condemn him. Not now. Not right after he had explained all of his actions. Even as she tried to tell herself otherwise, how could she ignore what this was pointing to? If Herobrine really was from a video game, how could she be having a conversation with him right now? Something like that would only happen in fanfiction.

Unless it had never been a game.

She felt sick.

“Herobrine?” she weakly said. “Does your world have stories?”

He gave a hesitant nod.

“Let's say that there was a writer, alright?” 

He nodded again.

“This writer was creating a story set in another world. This world was actually a real world, but because the people of that world couldn't easily interact with the writer, the writer believed it was all theirs. They did whatever pleased them the most. They created horrific conflicts. They mercilessly killed off 'characters'. When someone finally had enough and tried fighting back against the writer's cruelty – though they were essentially a god – the writer believed that it was part of their story. They couldn't explain it, but it felt like it was meant to be.”

Herobrine stared at her. Even though he had no pupils, horror was clearly written across his face. His eyes widened. His skin paled. His mouth opened ever so slightly, just enough to convey his surprise. And when he spoke, his voice was little more than a whisper. “That's us, isn't? The characters?”

She nodded. “We're not writers, but I don't think you'd understand it as well if I tried to explain video games to you...” He looked like he was about to cry again. Still, she had to finish explaining things to him. She couldn't stop in the middle of her explanation; doing so would only confuse him. “The players you see aren't our actual bodies. We can't die because we have the option to restart, and we act the way we do because we think it's just a game.”

“...I think I needed to get Lorcan and Second.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I've always loved the idea of putting myself in the shoes of Minecraft's mobs and trying to think of how they would view our actions, and I decided to once again go with that train of thought when writing this story. It was especially fun writing Herobrine's rant and Charlotte's analogy. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter in a comment!


	7. Chapter 7

### Chapter 7

#### Charlotte

The three huddled around her chair as she opened the game. Her stomach had been twisting and churning ever since Herobrine's companions had been ushered into the room, but the overall ill feeling had persisted from their conversation. The hand moving her mouse shook. Her server began to load. The sight of the house that immediately followed normally filled her with a deep sense of pride, but now she only felt ashamed.

“Welcome to Home,” she meekly said. “My server.”

One of them pushed on the back of her chair. Looking back, she saw Lorcan leaning over and staring intensely at the screen. He furrowed his brow. “Everything is made of blocks.”

Her grip on the mouse tightened. “It's the design of the game.”

“Are all your 'games' like this?” Herobrine questioned. He had been unnervingly quiet since their conversation; this was the first time he had spoken, despite Lorcan and Second having entered the room minutes ago.

She shook her head. “...No. Minecraft is an exception. Some have tried to imitate the style after its initial popularity, but most rely on more realistic styles.” She looked back at the screen. When her comment was met with silence, she began to navigate through her elaborate manor. She passed through room after room in an uncomfortable silence. It was only when she exited the building that one of them had an audible reaction.

Second made a gagging noise from behind her. She swiveled the chair around to see that he had gained a sickly hue. Lorcan and Herobrine were both staring at him with worry in their eyes, the former of the two pulling him close. 

She glanced back at the screen. The house across from her own was far from elaborate. In fact, it was rather ugly. Several slime blocks lined the front of the tall, wooden house. Their purpose was clear; the owner of the house was jumping off the roof and landing on them, only to bounce back up several seconds later.

“I think I'm going to be sick,” Second muttered, burying his face into Lorcan's shirt. She had never seen someone with a look like his. It was akin to the ones of the people in horror movies, but this had a realism they could never achieve. “I-It takes a lot to get that much, doesn't it? And they could have done so much...”

She looked back at the screen. Resting her hands on the keyboard and mouse, she tried to understand the cause of Second's distress. She couldn't comprehend what it was. 

Herobrine's hand shot out. She uttered a startled cry as he placed his hand on top of hers, but he ignored it. He quickly moved the mouse. When he realized that it only changed the direction she were looking, he looked at where she had put her other hand – the keyboard. He pushed down on the keys with a surprising amount of force.

Her digital self rushed into her house. Herobrine kept his hands on top of her own. A strange warmth rose to her cheeks. The intimacy was unusual yet welcome; she couldn't recall the last time she had been so close to someone in a nonthreatening way. She looked up at him. His gaze lingered on the screen, his face clouded with dark, stormy emotions. His grip tightened. She doubted he meant to cause her harm, but she still jerked her hands out from underneath his. He had more strength than his body would suggest.

“I think we should turn it off,” Lorcan said.

There was a striking coldness to his voice. The unfamiliarity of it terrified her. He had seemed to be the most mature out of the three; to be at the receiving end of his thinly masked anger made her feel like a child being scolded. Unsure of what he would do if she didn't, and worried by Second's reaction, she did exactly as he suggested.

She turned the chair around.

“That was Minecraft,” she said. 

It seemed like a stupid thing to say, but she didn't know how to address what had just happened. It wasn't something she had ever had to deal with before. Fiction could teach her how to read emotions, but it would never be able to teach her how to act on what she had noticed. This time was no exception.

Lorcan didn't look at her. He pulled the now sobbing Second closer to him, gently rubbing his back as he cried into his shirt. “I think we need to make something clear.” 

She got to her feet. She started to walk towards where she had left the tissue box, but Herobrine somehow managed to beat her to it. She could only watch as he fished out several and silently handed them to the sobbing boy. 

“What is it?” she asked. Her voice trembled.

He continued to watch Second. “This isn't us.”

“...I don't understand.”

Second blew his nose into the tissues. With his wet cheeks and shaking body, he looked absolutely horrible. Charlotte was sure that he would have fallen if Lorcan wasn't supporting him. “We're not players,” he quietly added, “and we're not gods like Hero.”

She glanced at Herobrine. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away. She was still trying to understand what they were implying. How could they not be something so humanoid when they looked like they could be walking among the people of her town?

“Herobrine mentioned that you were stuck as players. So you're meant to look different than you currently do, but something is preventing you from doing that.”

Lorcan nodded. Content with Second's emotional state, he turned his attention to her. His expression, devoid of emotion, matched the tone he continued to use. “Herobrine can't access his magic. Our forms are a result of his magic. We used these ones when we arrived to explore your house faster, so his magic was most likely lost some time after we arrived. But, at the heart of the matter, Second and I will never be like you.”

“You really do seem nice, Charlotte,” Second said. He was in the middle of wiping his tears with his sleeve. “But I-I don't think you're going to like us much...”

Starting to suspect that the conversation was going to take awhile, she sat down on the edge of her bed. She gestured for the others to do the same. They hesitated, but eventually sat down. Herobrine sat surprisingly close to her, while Second sat in Lorcan's lap and watched her with his large brown eyes. 

“I'm not sure I understand. You both are good people, even if you're not technically people.” She furrowed her brow. It was then that it hit her. Herobrine was apparently a god, so did he truly have any limitations? “W-Wait. Are you two mobs?”

Lorcan crossed his arms. “If a mob is something living that isn't a player, we are.” He narrowed his eyes, waiting for her to continue speaking. 

Her mind raced. What could the two of them possibly be? There were so many terrifying mobs. Lorcan, with his tall stature, dark hair and intimidating glare, was undoubtedly an enderman. Even his fangs could be attributed to that. Second had bright green hair, and was prone to emotional outbursts, similar to how a creeper was prone to exploding if you got too close. It was likely that she was dealing with a creeper. 

“...What are you two?”

Second glanced at the computer. Becoming noticeably paler at the sight of the black screen, he raised a shaking finger and pointed at it. She stared at the computer. What was he trying to imply? There wasn't much that she had shown them. There had been her house, but she was never one to have mob heads on display. That left only what they had seen outside the house. And the only thing that left was...

She looked back at him. Now she could understand why his hair was green, or why he was so small compared to the others. And moving past his appearance, it explained his reaction. A familiar nauseous feeling overcame her. How could she have been so blind to it? Second had specifically mentioned having an owner, and even his name was homage to what he really was! Jerry was the name of CaptainSparklez's slime, and Slimer was the name of a slime in a series she couldn't remember the name of. 

“You're a slime, aren't you?”

“Players don't like us much, do they?” His hand was shaking as he grabbed another handful of tissues. Teardrops were beginning to form at the corner of his eyes, but none of them had fallen. “There was my old owner, but she was different. All of the other players attack us. A-And you're scared, too. You've been trembling the entire time.”

She looked up at Lorcan. He was watching her. Waiting. When they had first appeared, Herobrine had seemed like the major threat. He had been reduced to nothing more than a silent bystander. Now it was Lorcan that was the most dangerous. Even without magic, he would have the upper hand. He was far taller than her. And something in the look he gave her made her certain that he wouldn't hesitate to harm her. 

“I'm not scared of you,” she reassured Second.

“...Really?”

She nodded. “I was just nervous about what you would say.”

A sigh escaped his lips.

She glanced at Lorcan. Her answer seemed to satisfy him; the glare was noticeably less harsh, and a little bit of warmth had returned to his expression. “So, um, what are you?” 

He stared at her.

She stared back. “What?”

“I just thought you would have figured it out,” he said. His cheeks took on a reddish hue. Seeing him so flustered almost made her forget how hostile he had been only moments before. “I thought it was obvious.”

She took a deep breath. She had figured it out, so why was she so reluctant to say what he was? “Are you an enderman?”

The words took several seconds to settle in. When they did, his reaction to them wasn't what she had expected. His cheeks became a deeper shade of crimson, and he ducked his head in what oddly appeared to be embarrassment. “It's because I'm tall, isn't it?”

“Wait, you're not an enderman?”

He frantically shook his head.

“Lorcan's height is a sensitive topic,” Herobrine quietly said. He looked over at his companions. “We try to avoid it. In his natural form, he's larger than the majority of the adults...”

Lorcan momentarily peeked his head up. “I'm a bat.”

“Oh.”

He looked back down. “Y-yeah.”

“I mean, you do look like a vampire,” she added.

He sighed. “I'm not sure if that's meant to be an insult or a compliment.”

“It's kind of a compliment,” she said. “Since I think bats would look like vampires if they were humans. But you don't, uh, drink blood, do you?”

Second and Lorcan glanced over at Herobrine. The god in question looked incredibly sheepish, though she couldn't possibly figure out why. Second stifled a laugh. “He doesn't, even though it's _completely natural to think that a bat would if he appeared to be a vampire_.” 

Oddly enough, Herobrine wasn't looking at her when he spoke.

“Am I missing something?” she asked.

Second laughed again. “Nothing important. We're just teasing Hero.” 

She sighed. It looked she wasn't going to get an explanation any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! It was longer than the previous ones, but I couldn't find a good place to break it into smaller parts. I hope you enjoyed it. It was fun to write, though it was also difficult to figure out what exactly I wanted to do with it. Now that the basics of these three have been established, the fic will hopefully start moving at a faster pace. Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

### Chapter 8

#### Charlotte

_-The Next Day-_

The walk to school was as long and lonely. This in itself was quite a common occurrence. She couldn't recall the last time someone other than the morning sun had accompanied her on the trek from her house to the old building. But after the events of the day before, the emptiness she felt was even more difficult to swallow. Thinking about any of them made her heart swell, only to deflate when she remembered than none of them could accompany her.

Because, despite their many protests, she had invited them to live in her house.

She popped in an earbud. She couldn't tell if her decision was a smart one or not; while they were in desperate need of a place to stay, they were essentially strangers. She could only guess what they were like based off of their conversations from the day before. She could only hope that they wouldn't destroy her house by the time she got home. But she still took a bit of pride in her actions. There were many unused rooms, and her house had felt so empty the past few years. 

They needed her, and she needed them.

She picked a song. It wouldn't be long until she arrived at the school's gate, but it was always better to start the day with the comfort of music.

~v~

Homeroom was as dreadful as it always was.

The loud chatter of her classmates reached her ears even before she entered the room. There was a brief silence when she initially entered the room but, after seeing that it was only her, her peers resumed their conversations. She kept her head down. She had stopped trying to meet their eyes months ago. One could only hope for change for so long. When she reached her desk in the front of the room, she quietly slid into her seat. She paid no attention to the empty desks on either side of her; they were always empty. Instead, she stared down at her phone. She had a book in her bag, but class would soon begin. It would be pointless to get it out now.

“Hey, Levi, what did you get on that history test yesterday?” 

She looked up. Curiosity, hopefulness – she wasn't sure what the cause of the action was, but she still glanced over her shoulder. The usual group of students were gathered in the back of the room, huddled around a single desk. And in that desk, eyes peering out from behind a stylish pair of glasses, was none other than her self-proclaimed rival.

Power dripped off of him, and her classmates all lapped it up. They oblivious to his charms. She seemed to be the only one who picked up on his charisma; she had always suspected it was because she was so detached from the rest of them. His outfits all strayed into the realm of semi-formal, with collared shirts and dress pants. Even his black hair, which was always gelled back, somehow managed to look good. 

He was everything she wished she could be. Seeing him now was a painful reminder of that. If only she could have enough popularity to become class president, or already have colleges eagerly awaiting her applications! 

The epitome of a cliché, Levi Quinn pushed up his glasses. 

“My score was a one hundred,” he said. 

They oohed and they ahhed, despite his success being a rather common occurrence. The test had been notoriously hard. The students who had taken American History last year had been instilling fear into the underclassmen for the past month. It was an impressive victory.

Charlotte glowered. His perfect score reduced her ninety-five to little more than just a number. She had poured her heart and soul into preparing for it, but for what? Levi didn't need to study. He had mentioned his lack of studying quite frequently, and it was yet another reason to envy him.

His green eyes settled on her. Her heart started hammering in her chest when he pushed his chair back. This was unprecedented. They had never done group work together, so why was he suddenly walking over to her? His posse watched from afar. She stared back down at her phone, desperately hoping that he was going to someone else.

But he stopped beside her.

“You smell,” he said.

There was no laughter from his peers. The ones that had heard him paid no attention to his comment, and the ones who didn't remained blissfully ignorant. Real life wasn't like fiction. The hurt never came from malicious comments and laughter. It was the lack of interaction in the first place that truly caused her pain.

Although his comment was far from welcome.

“Excuse me?”

He looked down at her. “You smell,” he repeated, this time with more emphasis. “I could smell you from the other side of the room-”

“The bell's about to ring, so I think you should get back to your seat,” she interrupted. She gave him an emotionless smile, trying to reign back her indignation at the comment. What kind of attempt at bullying was that?

Levi frowned. “This conversation isn't over.” 

“The clock says otherwise.” 

“You can't expect me to sit down when I can't ignore that smell,” he argued. Crossing his arms, he tentatively sniffed the air. “It's frustratingly familiar. Almost like a garbage dump, but somehow even worse.”

She rolled her eyes. “Like you smell any better, Levi.” She already wasn't having a good morning after having to leave Herobrine, Second and Levi at her house. Having to deal with Levi's poor attempt to hurt her feelings was not something she wanted on her agenda. 

But then the bell rang, and he was whisked away by the calls of his friends. And Charlotte, grateful to be rid of him, returned to looking at her phone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! The last chapters have had a bigger focus on the struggles of the characters from Minecraft. It's a nice change to be writing about Charlotte's struggles instead. It's also fun to write about Levi, who, if you couldn't guess, is meant to fill the smart character role. Any thoughts on him so far?


	9. Chapter 9

### Chapter 9

#### Lorcan

They had spent the first half of the day wandering aimlessly throughout the house. While leaving the house certainly wasn't an option, they also couldn't find something to do inside. Hero perused dusty bookshelves in the master bedroom. Second experimented with her television. And Lorcan somehow managed to waste the entire morning by exploring every single room in the house. His exploration only revealed the riches Charlotte's family apparently possessed, as well as a plethora of unused clothes. None of it proved to be entertaining.

But, by the time midday rolled around, they all ended up back in her room.

Second was in the middle of going through her dresser when he entered, and Hero was sitting at her desk with a conflicted expression on his face. He awkwardly sat down on her bed. “What are you two doing?” he questioned, hoping to figure out a way to kill his boredom. 

“I'm looking for something different to wear,” Second said, peering into her dresser. He pulled out a t-shirt and tentatively held it up in front of him. “Since she said we'd probably want to do that.”

Hero tentatively put his hand on the mouse. Biting his lip, he looked back at Lorcan. “What if I tried playing the game? I wouldn't do anything major, but I could get a sense of what our world seems like to Charlotte.” He stared down at the keyboard. “We still have so much we don't know, and I don't like being helpless again...” 

“I don't know if that's a good idea,” Lorcan said. 

Something about it rubbed him the wrong way. How could they possibly play the game when they knew the implications of their actions? Even more so, it felt like interacting with their world as someone other than themselves. Someone would see them and think they were just another player.

Second carefully placed the shirt back in the drawer. “What if we go out instead?” he suggested, a grin beginning to spread from ear to ear. “We can't do much right now because we don't know what this world's like, right? So all we have to do is start learning!”

Hero spun the chair around. He leaned forward, intrigued, but retained a wary expression. Lorcan adopted a similar look. There were flaws in Second's plan, but it was also the best one they currently had. 

“We don't exactly look normal,” Hero pointed out. He gestured down at his shirt. “Your outfits were hastily put together, and even if I wore sunglasses, they would look strange with my outfit.”

Second reached into the drawer and pulled out a handful of clothes. While none of them would fit the two critics of his plan, the message was clear enough. “We can find clothes that match us. There's this dresser, and the one in that big bedroom Hero's sleeping in...” 

“I found some clothes in her attic,” Lorcan slowly added, suddenly remembering the boxes upon boxes of them he had spotted in his search. He hadn't gone through any of them and didn't know if they were practical, but they were certainly worth investigating. 

A smile danced across Hero's lips. “I think we have a plan.”

~v~

“I don't like this plan.”

They were crowded in the bathroom, each trying to get a good look on their new outfits. Second had few objections to his own, but Lorcan and Hero's protest multiplied with every passing minute. It was Hero who had spoken, but Lorcan was thinking the exact same thing. This plan, while wonderful in theory, was horrible in practice. 

Because, despite his many attempts, his outfit had ultimately made him look like even more of a vampire than before. His clothes, taken from the largest bedroom, somehow were both seductive and elegant, which was one of the most horrifying combinations he could have possibly encountered. Second's decision to put his hair up into a ponytail hadn't helped, but how was he supposed to turn his best friend down? Second thought it made him look wonderful, and he couldn't object to him then.

But Hero was having none of it.

“I look terrifying. Let's make another plan,” he desperately pleaded, gesturing wildly at his reflection. Lorcan silently agreed. While the leather jacket might have matched the sunglasses, it made him even more intimidating than he typically was. “We could wait until Charlotte comes home and ask her about this world.”

Lorcan shook his head. “We should go out, Hero. We can't keep relying on Charlotte.” 

He hated to be the one to say it, but how could they fully trust her when they had just met? He wanted to be as open to her as Hero was, but the thought of doing so made him feel incredibly nervous.

Hero sighed. “Let's go, then.”

~v~

The streets were unfamiliar, and were far more intricate than any of the ones in their own world. The buildings constructed by the players on their soil paled in comparison to some of the ones that lined the streets of Charlotte's town. While they were strictly on the search for more information, it was hard not to be awed by the impressive sights. 

They went into shop after shop. He was shocked by the variety of it. There were multiple stores that seemed to sell the same thing, like the three clothing stores he had spotted, but there were only a handful of the possible places to enter! If he had the right currency, he would have spent a fortune. Hero had to be dragged out of the largest bookstore, and Second spent at least five minutes staring at the candy displayed in one of the storefronts.

And then there was the scale of the technology. Large, mechanical vehicles came flying by, and some were parked along the sidewalks. They put the speed of a horse to shame. Lorcan wondered how they worked; they looked so simple from the outside, but how could someone make something that big move with such ease? People in cafes checked small devices similar to the one he had seen Charlotte using that morning. 

They listened to as much as they could, but no conversation gave them a straight answer to what this world was like. They had to piece it together with the little bits of information they had. But even though he wasn't learning as much as he had hoped he would, it was still fun. He hadn't enjoyed himself this much in awhile.

Then they entered another residential section of the town.

There was a building set farther back from the road than the other buildings. Towering above the rest, there was a certain oldness to it that he couldn't quite describe. He watched as groups of players exited the building. There were large, yellow vehicles stationed to the side of the building, While some of the players boarded them, others headed straight towards the road they were standing on. With a few exceptions, they traveled in clusters.

Lorcan instinctively moved closer to both Second and Hero. None of them made a move to walk past the building. They were intrigued; they couldn't discern its purpose, and the players seemed to be around Charlotte's age. If they were lucky, she might exit the building as well.

And it was then that Lorcan awkwardly made eye contact with a player.

She was standing among a group of girls. She said something to them. While they had been loudly chatting only moments before, an unsettling silence took the place of their words. They all turned to look at him. He ran his tongue over his fangs. They couldn't see it, but what if they realized how out of place he looked here? It must have been so obvious. How could they have been so blind-

The girl said something else. Lorcan held his breath. Oh Gods, they were pointing at him! One player gave her a pat on the back and pushed her over towards him. She hesitantly made her way over to him. After a tense minute, she finally came to a stop in front of him. The three were struck silent with terror. They should have never left the house! They were going to be caught, and they had no way to defend themselves.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hello,” he nervously answered.

She put her shaking hands into her pockets. What was it that made him look so frightening? “I saw you were looking at me.”

He managed to nod. 

“My friends thought it would be funny to dare me to talk to you,” she admitted, a blush spreading across her face in embarrassment. “They wanted me to get your number.”

“Number,” he repeated. How long could he get away with his minimal responses? He had no idea what she was talking about. If he didn't come up with a way to get out of this conversation soon, they would be in deep trouble.

She gave a sheepish little laugh. He had been wrong about his initial assumption; she wasn't Charlotte's age. She was younger. He didn't think it was by much, but it was enough to be noticeable. “Yeah. You must be older than me by a lot, right? You look mature. And you're not really my type, either. So it would be stupid to get your number.”

He nodded again.

“I didn't want you to get the wrong idea,” she hurriedly added.

“I wasn't,” he promised. He didn't even know what the right idea would be, so how could he possibly misinterpret the situation? 

Second shifted uncomfortably at his side, and Hero desperately continued to watch the building. They were all too afraid to say anything. Even Lorcan was walking on thin ice. They had somehow managed not to be noticed by anyone else, but it seemed like it was only a matter of time. 

Suddenly, Hero took a step forward. He raised a hand and pointed at the figure hurrying towards them. “Our friend is here now. We need to talk to her.” 

The smile that accompanied the words was forced, but they seemed to have done their job. The girl gave an embarrassed nod and rushed back to her friends. As the entire group walked by, she glanced over her shoulder – only to quickly look away when she met Lorcan's gaze. 

“How do you know Juniper?”

A startled cry left his lips when he heard the confused voice; he had been too preoccupied in his plight to notice that the person that Hero had pointed to was Charlotte. He spun back around. She was watching him expectantly. As another large group of players passed by, he realized she was talking about the girl.

“We just met,” he said. “She asked me for my number.”

Charlotte stared at him. “She's _fourteen_.”

“Is that her number?” he asked, bewildered.

She furrowed her brow. “That's her age, not her cell-”

“Her friends forced her to,” Second helpfully added.

“They're fourteen, too!”

Hero crossed his arms. “How is that a problem?”

A heavy sigh left her lips. “Lorcan, you look like you're at least seventeen. Kids her age shouldn't be dating someone so old.” She pulled out the small device from her pocket. Holding it out to him, she explained, “This is called a cell phone. When someone asks for your number, they want to call it so they can talk to you more. When someone suddenly comes up and asks for your number, it means they want to go on a date with you.”

“Oh.”

Second rushed over to Charlotte's side and peered down at the phone. Satisfied by what he saw, he glanced back up at her. “So how did you know her, Charlotte? Are you two friends?”

She glowered. “No.”

“Enemies?” Lorcan guessed.

She sighed again. “Juniper's the kid sister of my rival.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I didn't plan for Juniper to be a character when I initially started this chapter, but the idea of the girl who talked to Lorcan being Levi's younger sister really stuck with me. It'll be fun writing Levi and Juniper's interactions in future chapters. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

### Chapter 10

#### Charlotte

When the last bell of the day had rung, she took her time gathering her belongings. She took the longer route to her locker to avoid the more crowded hallways, and left the actual building at a reasonable pace. While she wanted to see Herobrine, Lorcan and Second, a few minutes wouldn't make much of a difference. She had never been one for rushing. 

But then she had seen the three of them awkwardly standing by the entrance. 

It took several seconds for the sight to register. They looked noticeably different from how she had last seen them, and she hadn't expected them to be talking with Juniper Quinn. Once she realized that they were, in fact, the same people who had come through that rift the day before, she had hurried on over to them. 

Their explanation for the conversation was satisfying, but it left the uncomfortable question of what they had been doing there in the first place. She didn't want to limit what they were doing. That would seem intrusive, and she was sure they could handle themselves – they had to be close to adulthood, right? 

But they were gaining intrigued looks from her peers, looks that implied she would be asked questions about this the next day. Her school didn't pay much attention to strangers. People from other towns visited all of the time, and it would become tedious to investigate every newcomer. 

Unfortunately, her new roommates stood out. Second's hair was unusual, even among the more experimental of her classmates. Lorcan looked like he could be off the cover of a magazine. And Herobrine, dressed in that leather jacket and sunglasses, looked like he had come straight out of an old gang movie. 

Herobrine walked over to her. There was only a short distance between them, a foot or two at most. But he continued to bridge the distance. Soon he was standing right beside her, looking down at the phone she was still holding out. Something about their close proximity made her hold her breath. Second was also standing nearby, but it wasn't the same. 

Herobrine looked back up. The sunglasses, which were probably just a little too large on him, started to slide down his face. All that she could do was watch in horror as he awkwardly fumbled for them. When he finally had them back in place, the four of them frantically looked at the students passing by. No one was looking in their direction anymore; the initial interest seemed to have faded.

They all let out a sigh. 

“You said you had a rival,” Herobrine commented. 

She looked back at the school. “I do.”

“Why are you rivals?”

She started to walk away from the building. When the others stayed where they were, she gestured for them to follow. The farther they got from school, the better. She didn't want to deal with her classmates when she could be spending time with the three of them. 

Seeming to get the message, they fell into step beside her.

She stuffed her hands into her pockets. Herobrine mirrored the gesture, while Second clung to Lorcan's arm. It was nice. For a moment, she could almost convince herself that she was walking with the friends she had always dreamed of having.

“Levi's my rival because he's impressive,” she finally said. It was the best way she could describe it. “He gets the best grades in our entire grade, and he's insanely popular.”

Lorcan stared at her. “Grades?”

“You don't know what grades are, do you?”

The three nodded.

“How about school?”

They all gave her blank looks.

She sighed. It looked like this was going to be harder than she expected. “We have to go to something called school here. That's the big building you saw. People are divided by their ages there. Levi and I are the same age, so we have something called classes together, where we learn different subjects. Age groups are called grades, but the scores you get on the tests in each class are also called grades.”

“Levi is in your grade, but also gets better grades, correct?” When she nodded, a shy smile danced across Herobrine's lips.

“So how did you meet Juniper?” Second piped up, eagerly peeking around Lorcan with a twinkle to his eyes. He looked like a kid in a candy shop. “She seems really nice!”

She allowed herself a smile. Juniper was a nice kid, even though her brother was absolutely terrible. “Levi and I were both nominated for an award a few years ago because of our grades, and she was there. I talked with her while her brother was off doing who knows what.”

They spent the rest of their walk in silence. She enjoyed seeing the expressions on their faces as they took in all of the sights. They were viewing an entirely new world, and she was there to see it. It was hard not to get excited when she thought of it that way. Even if they had come through the center of town on their way to the school, there was still something thrilling about the experience.

~v~

When dinner rolled around that night, she had come to notice a problem. It was a problem that was becoming increasingly evident, and she began to worry about the implications of it. If they didn't figure out a solution to it soon, they would be in deep trouble.

They didn't know how to cook.

Herobrine was quick to assure her that he could handle himself, and that Lorcan and Second knew a handful of recipes for when he was out of commission. But the recipes they knew required ingredients from their world. While some were quite similar, there was still a noticeable difference between the final result. Making meals had never been a problem for her. When she was home, she could make sure they actually ate something. She would have to teach them how to cook. Or, at the very least, they needed a cookbook.

It was just another thing to add onto the growing list of things she needed to teach them. Earth technology was another, and even casual slang was something that they were clueless about. 

By the time she was heading to bed that night, she was absolutely exhausted. They hadn't caused any problems, but their presence was enough to tire her. She could hear them softly talking in another room. She guessed they were discussing the events of the day. 

She changed into her pajamas. Making sure she had her bag ready for tomorrow, she set her alarm and slipped under her covers. Sleep should have quickly overcome her, but a light stubbornly blinked out of the corner of her eye. She rolled over to face it. To her surprise, it seemed to be the notification light from her phone. What could it possibly be? She had already gotten the daily notification from the game she had on it, and her father rarely texted her.

She unplugged her phone from the charger. 

Someone had sent her a series of text messages. She tentatively clicked on the notification. Her phone didn't recognize the sender, so they must have sent the messages to the wrong number. 

But then she saw the first text.

_Hello, Charlotte._

Her blood ran cold. How could they have known it was her number? Why were they messaging her? No one ever wanted to talk to a girl like her. Even before she scrolled farther down, she knew the answer. Today was the first day she had been seen interacting with Herobrine, Second and Lorcan. If someone had decided to message her, it wasn't out of the kindness of their heart. 

They knew her secret. 

_Your friend had some interesting eyes, didn't he? I didn't believe it at first. You're like the rest of them. Just another kid, too wrapped up in your own little world to realize how lucky you really are. Grades are your drug, and popularity is your salvation._

Her grip on her phone tightened. How dare they pretend like they knew her? She didn't who they were, but she hated them with every fiber of their being. They knew nothing about her life. They knew nothing about how many lonely nights she had spent without someone to talk to, and nothing about how Minecraft had become her everything as a result. 

_But then I remembered. You've been touched by magic, haven't you? It's enticing to someone who has been deprived of it for so long. I want to know more about you, Charlotte, and more about those three you were hanging out with._

With trembling fingers, she texted a reply.

_Who are you?_

She held her breath. They wouldn't get back to her so soon, would they? She had just sent the text-

_Let's just call me K for now._

_How did you get my number?_

There was brief pause. _Someone I know had it._

She listened to the sound of her roommates chatting. She still couldn't make out their words, but she knew she had to be strong for them. She would have to get to the bottom of this. 

_What do you want?_

K, or whatever their actual name was, waited a frustratingly long period of time before sending a reply. She almost got out of bed to tell the others when her phone vibrated in her hand.

 _There's a mall a few towns over. I'm sure you've been to it before._ She hadn't, but she knew what they were referring to. _Do you have plans for Friday afternoon?_

She hesitated. _No._

_Good. Let's meet in the food court there at four. You can bring those interesting friends of yours, but only them. None of our classmates can know about this._

_Our?_ she asked. 

_Shit. Stupid auto correct. I meant your._

She glanced at the wall separating her room and the one beside hers. What would happen if she agreed to meet with K? They hadn't specified why they wanted to talk. What if it was a trap, and K wanted to harm them? 

_And if I say no?_

_It's in your best interests to talk with me, Charlotte._

She took a deep breath. What other choice did she have?

_I'll come._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! The last chapters were setting up the plot for the rest of this novel, and I'm glad to finally be moving past the exposition. This chapter marks the start of the K arc. It's the beginning of the magical side to the story, and K's antics should hopefully live up to your expectations. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of K's mysterious intentions!


	11. Chapter 11

### Chapter 11

#### Juniper

She glared at the empty container in the sink. It had previously been home to fried dough their dad had made several nights before, but Levi had undoubtedly finished it off. Now what was she supposed to have for a snack? Leftovers were always fair game, but she had hoped he would have had something else.

She eventually settled on an apple. It was a far cry from the fried dough, but what else was she supposed to have? She didn't want to put effort into her snack if she didn't have to. All she had to do was wash the apple, and then she could return to her beloved web comics.

Taking a large bite out of the apple, she started to head down the hallway leading away from the kitchen. Her room was closer to it than his was, but it still didn't prevent him from somehow always beating her to the kitchen on a regular basis. It was just one of the many mysteries surrounding her older brother that she could never solve.

High school was her fresh start, she reminded herself. Living in Levi's shadow had never been a problem. While his grades may have been exceptional, his extracurriculars lacked the same finesse. She had clocked in more volunteer hours over the past year than he had during his entire high school career, and was part of more clubs than he was.

No, ninth grade was monumental because it was the year she finally could separate herself from his antics. Homework would provide the convenient excuse for why they couldn't spend as much time together, and the maturity associated with high school would explain why she was less eager to play the only thing that mattered to him.

But sticking to her resolution was hard.

Unwittingly taunting her, a triumphant cry rang out from behind his closed bedroom door. She paused as she was about to enter her own. The cry was followed by several quieter ones, but the enthusiasm was still there. She sighed. Just one more time. Then she would move on, right? Levi wasn't a bad person, but he was weird. Her parents were blissfully unaware of their oldest child's quirks. His classmates were, too. She was the only one he was truly himself around, and it was impossible to deal with him.

She slowly opened the door to his bedroom.

It was a challenge in itself getting over to his desk. It was a miracle that she hadn't broken any bones yet, and she always wondered how he managed to do anything with all of the clutter. His room was as abnormal as he was. He had an unhealthy love with that one game. Posters lined his walls, and his bed was covered with plush toys. His computer's screen was the ultimate indicator of his obsession; a magnificent palace was built in the middle of a blocky clearing. 

Because Levi, for reasons she could never quite understand, spent every free moment he had playing Minecraft. Even if their parents had noticed his addiction, they hadn't said anything. His grades were perfect. If he wanted to play Minecraft, then so be it. They wouldn't stop him.

Right now, Levi was staring down at his keyboard. She cleared her throat. He spun the chair around with a surprising amount of speed. His hair was a mess, and the clothes he had worn to school were replaced by an old pair of black pajamas. His glasses were askew. 

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Playing Minecraft.”

The answer was expected, but something about it seemed almost forced. Weird. School must have been getting to her. “What's so exciting?” she asked, peering over the chair at the screen. It didn't look any different than his usual creations.

“Well, the pool's working.” He tapped the screen. “I'm not convinced it's sanitary, but you can only do so much with a hodgepodge of mods.” He scrolled through the items in his inventory. “The cell phone is complete trash, and I haven't been able to have a conversation with any of the endermen yet.”

There was the oddness. She was the only one who knew enough about Minecraft to pick up on the little odd comments scattered throughout his dialogue. Endermen weren't supposed to talk. Even if they could, they were supposed to kill the player. Something like that should only be a possibility if he had a mod for it, but he never mentioned having one.

She had never said anything about it. She was worried about what his reaction would be, and feared that his life would be ruined if she so much as mentioned it to her parents. But when it was just them in his room like this, when he gave the screen _that_ look, and when he spoke with that disappointed tone, the thought nagged at her.

Levi thought Minecraft was real.

“So that's why you're so excited?”

He nodded. “Hot Topic's also got a deal going on their Minecraft stuff, so I'm thinking of going there after school in a few days. Want anything?”

“No.” She tilted her head. “But why not go to the mall sooner?”

He dismissed the question with a wave of the hand. “The usual. Minecraft, homework and GSA stuff.” He turned back to the computer. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him slip his phone off of his keyboard and into his pocket. 

Something about the answer didn't feel right. He had gone to the store to get merchandise sooner than that, and homework had never been a detractor. He had a knack for getting it done quickly. Why would that suddenly change?

She let out an inaudible sigh. She was thinking too much into it. She got her answer. Now she could leave and put this conversation behind her. Just because she was the only one aware of the real Levi, it didn't mean she had to babysit him. He was sixteen. He could do what he wanted to. 

She turned around.

“I saw you talking with that guy today.”

She spun back around. Shoot. He had seen that?

“Weren't you staying after for student council?”

“I was,” he nonchalantly replied. “I looked out the window.”

She crossed her arms. “And?”

“Did he smell funny to you?”

It wasn't the question she was expecting, but it was one she could answer. At the very least, she was relieved he wasn't asking what they were talking about. “Not really.”

He adjusted his glasses. “That's odd.”

“Why?”

Frowning, he turned the chair around so his back was completely facing the computer screen. Her answer seemed to bother him, though she couldn't figure out why. “Charlotte smelled absolutely horrible today, and they were talking with each other. I though he would smell the same...”

“Well, he did smell odd,” she admitted. She was so used to the smell that it hadn't registered at the time of their conversation. It had only come to mind now because of his question.

Levi brightened. “How so?”

“Almost like trash, but somehow worse.” She playfully poked his chest. “Like you, actually. But he's definitely got better looks than you do.” 

“You just don't see how handsome I really am,” he teased back. He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking it out moments later in what seemed to be an effort to prove his point. 

She went to leave his room again.

“By the way, he was definitely too old for you!”

"You jerk-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I'm not sure if it was as lighthearted as I intended it to be, but, as an older sibling myself, I had a lot of fun writing Juniper and Levi's dynamics. Their relationship will definitely play a central role in the story, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

### Chapter 12

#### Charlotte

She tried to fall asleep, but doing anything that remotely resembled resting was impossible. K, satisfied with her answer, had stopped sending her new texts. Now all she could do was stare at the wall across from her in what could only be described as horror. This fear was far more subtle than it had been with Herobrine. There was an uncertainty that she couldn't push past, while her fate with Herobrine had been predetermined. 

A few days ago, the thought of being allied with Herobrine would have made her laugh. A small, bitter smile curled on her lips. Calling him a friend was too far. Calling any of them that would be stupid. But here she was, determined to face whatever K had in store, to protect them. Because who else was there to protect? Her father was distant, and her friends were nonexistent. She could handle herself. The three in the room next door were the only ones that mattered.

She stared at the wall for what felt like an eternity. It might have been a few minutes, or it might have been several hours. But no matter how long it may have been, she was finally whisked away by sleep's warm embrace.

~v~

“Charlotte?”

Her vision was blurry, but she could make out someone standing beside her bed. She blinked away the grogginess. Inquisitive brown eyes watched her as she got up. Second, dressed in an old pair of sweatpants and t-shirt, waited for her to get out of her bed. His eyes lingered on her phone. When she noticed the focus of his gaze, he quickly looked away.

She threw on her robe and yawned. The memory of the night before was coming back to her, but she couldn't focus on that now. She had to get ready for school. Then she could deal with the meeting with K. She knew she had to tell them, but she had to figure out how. A groan escaped her lips. She should have waited until the morning to answer K's texts; her more awake self would have come up with a better solution than giving into their demands.

“Where's Herobrine and Lorcan?” she asked.

He averted his gaze. “Talking.”

Grabbing her phone from her nightstand, she met him by the door. “Okay.” It seemed like something was bothering him, but asking about it would be pointless. He was avoiding it now, and he would avoid it if she drew attention to it.

“Charlotte?”

They were approaching the kitchen. She wasn't in the mood to cook, so it looked like the four of them would be eating cereal for breakfast. She didn't know enough about them to guess what type they liked best, so it would just have to be trial and error. “Yeah?”

“...What's a mall?”

Startled, she stared at him. He couldn't be referring to K's messages, right? There was the possibility that they had covered their bases and also confronted the three, but actually pulling something like that off would be difficult. They didn't have phones, and the only time they had been outside after K saw them together would be their walk back to her house.

“I heard some people talking about it yesterday,” Second added.

She breathed a sigh of relief. “It's like the center of town, only condensed into one giant overpriced building.”

“Oh.” He hurried into the kitchen. Herobrine and Lorcan were nowhere to be found; she guessed they were still in one of their bedroom's. “They were talking about people meeting up there. Why would you do that?”

She shrugged. “It's a fun way to hang out, I guess.”

She grabbed a box of cereal from the cupboard. After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed two bowls. She could get more when the other two showed up. Second, remembering the contents of her refrigerator, went and got the milk. The familiarity of the action initially startled her, but then she remembered that he had been there when she had cereal as a snack the day before. 

She handed him his cereal.

They sat down at the table. Both were silent. If she listened closely, she could hear Herobrine and Lorcan having an animated conversation down the hallway. She needed a plan for dealing with K. She didn't have the magic her roommates once had, or their fighting experience. She wasn't even that athletic. If things turned nasty, K would beat her in a heartbeat.

She looked across the table at Second. His spoon remained untouched, and he stared down at the cereal. 

“What's wrong?”

He looked up. “Nothing.”

“You're upset about something,” she said. She didn't want to bother him, but it was difficult to ignore the shift in his mood. He had been on the cheerful side when she had gone to bedroom the night before, bouncing around the house as he enthusiastically recounted different parts of their excursion into town. 

He pointed at her robe.

She glanced down. “You don't like my robe?” 

“No,” he muttered. He pointed farther down. She started to feel her stomach twist and turn; his finger was directed at the pocket her phone was in. Had he and the others seen the text?

She placed her phone on the table. The two of them stared at it for another minute without saying anything. Why hadn't the others confronted her? Herobrine would have been worried, at the very least, by K. And Lorcan – intimidating, protective Lorcan – would have been fuming.

“I saw the messages.”

Her mouth was dry, and she suddenly didn't feel as hungry as she had before. “That's what Herobrine and Lorcan are talking about, isn't it?” She should have guessed it. Second could have left the conversation to distract her, or had made his contributions and left it.

He shook his head. “Hero needed Lorcan's advice on something else. Lorcan's always been good at understanding what's the right way to act. It's, um, not as easy for Hero and I...” He reached his hand out and tentatively flipped over her phone. “I saw it when I entered your room a few minutes ago. This part was facing up, and I saw the messages from K.”

“Then I woke up, and you didn't know what to do,” she surmised.

He nodded. 

“So what do you think?” she hesitantly asked, unsure of what his reaction would be. How could she predict something like that? He seemed so innocent and sweet, but she was quickly reminded of the boy she had met first: the one who, upon seeing her, had asked if they could kill her. 

“K knows what magic is like, right?”

“They do.”

He bit his lip, his eyes clouded in doubt. “Hero needs his magic back, and I think K might know that. I think we have to meet with them. A public place is a good form of protection. K can't do much there, and they don't want attention drawn to them. They won't try anything risky. Are your classmates the people in your classes?”

She nodded, though she didn't understand the topic shift.

“K doesn't want them to know. Why them?” 

“Because K's under the delusion that we're close. We're not.”

He swirled his spoon in his bowl. “Maybe.”

She leaned forward, strangely enthralled by the conversation. Why was it so enticing? “What else could it be?”

“K's one of your classmates,” he guessed. “They said our.”

“Then said it was a typo,” she argued. 

He shook his head. “I think K forgot that they wasn't supposed to know that that. Hero's glasses slipped when we were at the school, and it was when everyone was leaving. Just because no one said anything doesn't mean they saw nothing.”

His theory made sense, but it was strange hearing Second utter it. She had turned to Lorcan for explanations; Second had been the one who had been in desperate need of them as well. His uncertainty didn't lie in the idea of presenting a theory – it was in the theory itself. He was sure that he could come up with something, but just didn't know what. It was astounding to think of him in that light.

And she trusted everything he said.

“I'm going to meet with K,” she said, suddenly quite sure of what she had to do. “I'm going to get an explanation for everything they said, and find out why you three ended up here.”

He frantically shook his head. “We're coming, too!” 

“But that would be doing what K wants,” she weakly protested. Why was she so against the idea of them coming with her? It made sense for them to be there; they could provide the support she desperately needed. 

He abruptly pushed his chair back. “We can fight, Charlotte. I don't think we'll have to, but we can! Hero's great with anything he can swing, Lorcan's great with his fists and I'm really good with coming up with stuff on the fly. You need us!”

“I don't know...”

He grinned. “The four of us can hang out together, just like you said people at malls do. It would be a lot of fun!”

“I guess...”

Second opened his mouth to speak again, only to fall silent when Lorcan and Herobrine appeared in the doorway. They looked as if they had also been deep in conversation prior to this awkward moment.

Charlotte slowly raised her hand in greeting. 

“There's something we need to talk about,” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! I started writing it after I finished the last one, but I was struggling with the end of it. I'm content with how this turned out. It's always fun writing Second's character. Please let me know what you think of this chapter in a comment!


	13. Chapter 13

### Chapter 13

#### Charlotte

School was no longer dreadful. 

No, it had somehow surpassed that title and had moved into the realm of downright horrible. 

Overly eager eyes followed her through the crowded hallways, gossip spoken in whispers as she past. She ducked her head down and upped the volume of her music. She tried to think of other things. She tried thinking of her roommates, and how they were determined to come with her on Friday afternoon.

But that made the inquisitive looks become downright sinister. Second's theory rung true. K could be standing only feet away from her; they were undoubtedly one of the students. A shiver ran down her spine. It was terrifying to think of how little she knew of them. They had a confidence that her peers rarely had, and a righteous attitude of a magnitude she had never encountered. K was a force to be reckoned with.

A hand rested on her shoulder.

She spun around, muscles tense and a tight knot in her stomach. What if it was K? It was a stupid fear born out of her heightened state of terror, but she still could only relax when she saw Levi standing behind her. She never thought she would be relieved to see him.

He wrinkled his noise. “The smell is stronger today.”

“Really, Levi?” she said, shaking his hand off of her. He rested it at his side. The analysis was far from welcome. She didn't care what she smelled like, and didn't care what stupid Levi Quinn thought of her. She had bigger fish to fry. His weak bullying tactics paled in comparison to whatever evil plans K had up their sleeve.

He nodded. “Trust me when I say it is.”

She rolled her eyes and started to walk away.

“Wait!” he cried out, rushing after her. “You keep doing that.”

“Doing what?” she innocently asked, making a conscious effort to keep her irritation from seeping into her voice. She quickly glanced over at him. He was trying to keep up with her quick pace, and, for the most part, seemed to be succeeding.

“That.” She gave him a blank look. “You're doing it again! I'm just stating an honest fact, but you keep giving me that annoying attitude. I don't even know why I'm trying with you.”

He sighed and adjusted his glasses. He looked more flustered than she had ever seen him. They continued walking in silence. Having someone so close to her side was alarming; they frequently bumped into each other as students rushed past from the other direction. The intimacy was worrying.

They were almost at the classroom.

“Who were those boys yesterday?”

The shift was so subtle that she almost missed it. How had she been so oblivious to it? The Levi that had spoken to her in the past two days was not the same Levi in her classes. This Levi had lowered himself to the level of those who were under him. Class president Levi Quinn would have never done that. Even his so called friends weren't treated with the same casualness that had been directed towards her.

But the words that had just left his lips were spoken in the same authoritative tone that he normally used; one devoid of emotion, save for a cold yearning for knowledge.

“Friends,” she said.

He pushed up his glasses. “Rumor says one was a vampire.”

“I thought you were above petty gossip,” she taunted, pushing past him and entering the classroom. Levi glowered at her. He opened his mouth to say more, but his peers quickly whisked him off to his seat in the back of the room. A smug grin flickered across her face as she slid in her seat. Just because he was talking to her, it didn't mean she would suddenly open up about her life. Holding that over his head gave her quite the pleasant feeling.

If only that feeling could have lasted the entire week.

~v~

By the time school ended on Friday, she was regretting her decision to meet K. Her nerves were a mess, and even seeing the eager faces of her roommates when she returned home couldn't sate the terror that was now gripping her. They were dressed in the outfits they had worn during their excursion into town several days before. There was an air of excitement that she couldn't partake in. They wanted to see more of her world, and she was sure that she would have felt the same way. She should have been thrilled at seeing their reaction to something entirely new.

So why was she still so nervous when they boarded the bus that would take them there?

They searched for open seats. She could feel the stares of the other occupants of the bus; some, unfortunately enough, were her classmates. It was the best way for someone to get to the mall when they couldn't drive. Second quickly a place for him and Lorcan to sit, leaving Herobrine and Charlotte unsure of where they were supposed to go.

Herobrine tugged on her sleeve. “I see some seats to the back.”

She nodded, trying to ignore the heat rushing to her cheeks. He headed towards the back of the bus. She followed him. Her heart hammered in her chest when she slid next to him. Their shoulders were touching, and their fingers kept brushing against each other.

Herobrine grabbed onto her hand as the bus began to move. She almost pulled her hand back, but then she realized how much he was shaking. Her grip tightened. She was scared, too, but he was absolutely terrified. She couldn't have guessed how much courage it had taken for him to board the bus, or how he had spent the past day holed up in the comfort of her room. But she knew he was frightened, and that was enough for her.

“It's going to be alright,” she whispered. The chatter of the bus covered their voices. Even if she had been speaking loudly, she doubted they would be overhead. “We're going to get through this.”

He looked over at her. “I saw some of the people here at your school,” he said, his voice as low as her own. He leaned in closer to her. The intimacy was startling, but how could she push him away when he so desperately needed her comfort. “What if they're K?”

“I don't know,” she admitted.

“Second said they wouldn't cause trouble.” They were so close that she could smell his breath; it was the same type of minty as her toothpaste. It probably was her toothpaste, now that she thought about it. 

“But it's hard not to be scared,” she said.

He nodded. “Especially when we don't know what to expect.”

“And don't have anything to fight with.”

They looked at each other. Whether it was out of the absurdity of the situation or their apparent ability to understand what the other was thinking, they started to laugh. It wasn't loud. The people in front of them and the people behind them were possibly the only ones who could hear their giggles. 

Herobrine rested his head on her shoulder. “At least we can have fun,” he said. The action made her feel incredibly flustered, but he seemed completely oblivious to her discomfort. “The last time I went to anything like a mall was when I first met Lorcan and Second. Lorcan convinced me that I needed new clothes, and Second practically begged me to take him there. He had always wanted to go, but the villagers would always scare him away.”

“I've never been to the mall before,” she suddenly confided.

He tilted his head; she assumed he was looking at her from behind his sunglasses. “Players go there for fun, don't they? Especially ones your age.” He pointed at her classmates. “Wouldn't you have gone with them before?”

She shook her head. “We're not friends, Herobrine.”

“Then you must have gone with your other friends-” He fell silent, understanding the truth that she had been implying all along. Something about it seemed to make him visibly upset. His grip on her hand tightened, and the corners of his mouth turned down into a frown.

He lifted his head up. 

“We're going to make this the best day of your life,” he said.

“We're talking with K. I don't think today can be enjoyable, even if we tried to make the best of the conversation.”

He smiled. “Friends go to the mall to have fun.”

“And?”

He pointed at Second and Lorcan, who were staring out of the bus window like kids staring into a toy shop. Second had moved over into Lorcan's lap so he could get a better look at what they were passing, and Lorcan had one hand rested on his shoulder. “We're friends.”

She shook her head. “You barely know me,” she weakly protested, though she desperately wanted to agree to it. “We only met the other day, and we-”

Her phone pinged.

“don't even-”

Another notification.

“know how long you're-”

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

“going to be here-”

Just as the phone began to ring from another notification, she fished it out of her jeans and glowered at the screen. She was trying to have a conversation! She hadn't put it on vibrate, but why would she have needed to? It wasn't like she had anyone who would message her-

There was a series of text messages.

“K?” Herobrine asked.

She gulped. “Yeah.”

They both stared down at the screen.

_I may be running a little behind._

That was surprisingly not sinister. Furrowing her brow in confusion, she continued to read the messages. 

_Never mind. The line moved._

Bewildered, she looked over at Herobrine. Was K _shopping_ before they were supposed to meet? The action ruined their evil persona – it made them somehow seem more human and normal, though she knew it was a stupid thing to think.

_Are you coming alone?_

_I need an answer now._

Her fingers trembled as she typed her reply. It wasn't wise to anger K, though she didn't understand why her response needed to be so urgent. They knew she was coming. Wasn't that enough?

_No._

_Good. There was a pause. Do they have allergies?_

_Why do you care?_

She didn't how it was possible, but K somehow managed to convey an exasperated tone in their next set of messages. _Because while I may have many talents, Charlotte Hart, mind reading is not one of them. Now, do they have allergies? I don't want to poison my valuable wells of information._

“We don't,” Herobrine suddenly said, peering down at the screen. He looked as confused as she felt. “But I don't know why they need to know that.”

_They don't._

_Then everything is going according to plan._

A jolt of fear shot through her heart. What plan were they talking about? She had known they would do something other than talk, but she hadn't expected K to actually admit it! Were they really that confident in their abilities? What plan?

_You'll see._

And that was when they arrived at the mall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I'm excited for the next chapter - K will finally have the glorious entrance they've been waiting for. Or, at the very least, you'll finally be able to meet them. Any thoughts on what their plan might be?


	14. Chapter 14

### Chapter 14

#### Charlotte

There were a surprising high number of people at the mall. She had expected to see at least a handful, but the allure of the shopping center had been lost to her prior to this point. A steady stream of people entered the sprawling building. People loitered on the sidewalks, arms laden with bags as they chatted with friends and waited for their rides.

They found Lorcan and Second waiting for them beside the bus. Second was clinging to the taller of the two's arm, eyes wide as he took in the sight that even overwhelmed her. Standing among all of the people somehow made them stand out even more than they had at school. Charlotte felt a deep sense of embarrassment as they headed towards the mall's sole entrance.

“K sent another text,” she said, keeping her eyes on the doors ahead of them in a desperate attempt to block the intrigued stares. “They wanted to know if you had allergies. We're not sure why, but we should be careful.”

Herobrine slipped his hand into her own. When he looked over at her, there was a smile dancing on his lips. How could she get upset when he was giving her a look like that? “And after we talk with K, we need to explore this mall.”

Confusion flickered across Lorcan's face. “Why?”

“Because Charlotte has never been to the mall,” he said, “and it's our duty as her friends to have fun here.”

“We don't have to-” she started to object.

“You brought money!” Second suddenly interrupted, his eyes twinkling with a childish joy. He pointed down at her old little purse, which she had owned for years. “If you're hesitant about staying, think of it as a chance for us to get more things from this world. You want that, right?”

“It would be a chance for us to learn more,” Lorcan added, glancing down at the bubbly boy beside him.

She was getting the feeling that she was losing this argument. They did have a point, didn't they? They needed clothes that fit them, and more than just what she currently had to offer. Anything that made them seem more like normal people would be useful, and the mall was bound to have it. Anyways, she had a lot of money. She could easily afford things for them. 

“Alright,” she agreed.

She glanced back at the doors. That left one thing: meeting K.

~v~

When they entered the food court, the first thing that she did was search for recognizable faces. The mall was one of the few places kids from her town went to when they wanted to have a good time; there wasn't anything else nearby. Even the movie theater was nearly an hour away. She had known this for quite some time, but was unprepared for just how many of her peers would be in the food court. It was impossible to discern who was meant to be K. The few people who did have it at the start of their first name were surrounded by tables filled with their friends.

In fact, there was only a handful of tables with open seats. It seemed like the food court was currently one of the most popular places in the mall. The somewhat empty tables were the ones up against the windows, which only overlooked the parking lot below. 

As she waited for K to make themselves known, she observed the few people who didn't have anyone to sit with. There were at least three people wearing uniforms; they probably worked in one of the mall's many stores. There was a young woman talking anxiously to someone on her phone, and a father and his daughter sharing an ice cream. There was a couple, consisting of a senior and a girl who had graduated last year. 

Then there was the table pushed in the farthest corner. The person who sat there was looking down at their phone, occasionally glancing up to stare at the parking lot out the window. They casually sipped their strawberry coolata. There was a box of munchkins on the table, too – though they had a half-eaten glazed donut on a napkin in front of them. Their hood prevented her from getting a good look at their face, and it was impossible to discern their gender.

Then he, for that was what he apparently was, looked over at the four standing near the entrance of the food court.

The strange boy gestured them over with a lazy wave of a gloved hand. 

As they hesitantly approached his table, she found herself growing increasingly confused. He pushed his drink away and pulled up the black surgical mask that had been hanging around his neck. The few strands of hair that peeked out from underneath the hood were wild and black. His entire outfit was incredibly goth; black leather jacked over a black hoodie, blacked ripped jeans, and tall leather boots. Even the fingerless gloves he wore were the same color. Black eyeliner accented his strangely purple eyes.

He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why. Second's theory had made sense. K should have been one of her classmates, but this boy was decidedly not one of her peers. So who was he?

He waited for them to arrive at the table before he spoke.

“Hello, Charlotte,” he said. There was that same sense of familiarity. She had to know him, yet how would she forget such an unforgettable person?

“Hi.”

He gestured at the other chairs. “Sit down. There should be enough for all of you.” Though he was referring to her roommates, he kept his eyes trained on her. He was watching her. Studying her. Waiting for something, but she didn't know what.

They did as he requested. One person unfortunately had to take the seat right beside K. Herobrine took one look in the now trembling Second's direction before sliding into the seat. Charlotte claimed the head of the table. And Second and Lorcan, the former clinging even more desperately to the arm of the former, sat down in the remaining two seats.

K reached a hand out and opened the box of munchkins.

She exchanged nervous glances with the other three. How were they supposed to react to something like this? He was supposed to be an enemy, and enemies didn't give free food unless they had good reason to. 

“Go on,” he said. “Eat.”

She crossed her arms. “How do we know you didn't poison it or something?” 

Mirroring her expression, he crossed his arms – though he made a point to push back the chair for added effect. Something about the action infuriated her. What was it about his personality that rubbed her the wrong way? 

“It's a good thing you brought your friends along,” K commented, glancing at the other occupants of the table. “We'd get nowhere if you didn't.”

She opened her mouth to protest the apparent insult, but Second suddenly reached across the table and grabbed a handful of munchkins. He threw one into his mouth. Lorcan, Herobrine and Charlotte watched him with identical looks of horror.

Second swallowed. “He wants us to eat so it looks like we're friends.” He popped another one in his mouth. “So no one asks any questions.”

He gave him a thumbs up. “Exactly! We don't want people wondering what we're doing, do we?” His voice had an almost childlike innocence to it, but there was an underlying threat. “So, please, dig in. The treat is on me.”

Charlotte hesitantly grabbed a glazed one. After a moment of hesitation, Lorcan and Herobrine followed suit. They waited for K to indicate what they were supposed to do next. While he appeared to have no weapons, Charlotte wasn't going to take any risks. She would follow his lead and only do otherwise when it strayed into the realm of something she firmly didn't want to do.

“Let's begin,” he suddenly said, leaning forward. “Names are a good starting point. I'm sure Charlotte's told you all about little old me, but I'll refresh your memory. You can call me K. Now, what are yours?”

Herobrine started to answer, but K put a finger to his mouth.

“I already know yours, of course. You're Herobrine. Anyone who saw your glowing eyes and brown hair would be able to figure that out,” K said, his voice sickeningly sweet. “Let's start with your green-haired friend. Who are you?” 

Second's hands shook as he grabbed another munchkin from the box. She wished she could do something to comfort him, but he was facing the situation with a surprising amount of courage. She admired his reaction to K's earlier comment. She shouldn't have been so quick to underestimate him in the past. Second, despite his childish nature, was good in the situations like this.

“My name is Second,” he answered.

K looked over at Lorcan. Charlotte followed his gaze. Lorcan looked absolutely terrified to be the center of attention; his skin had gone a sickly shade of pale, and it seemed to be taking all of his resolve to meet his eyes. 

“I'm Lorcan,” he finally said.

“A god, a vampire and a human,” K mused, placing an elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand. “What an interesting combination, especially when I can only think of one place that you could have all come from. Which brings me to my next question. How did the three of you end up here?”

Charlotte was quick to notice the lack of objections to his analysis of trio. If they were going to mislead them, she would support their act. K's obliviousness to the truth could be used to their advantage if a need for it arose.

“Magic,” Herobrine said, smirking. Charlotte was thoroughly shocked. Who knew he had such a look in him? 

He frowned. “Thanks for that incredibly helpful information, Herobrine. At least I can mark off my theory about government experiments.” A sigh left his lips; he suddenly gained a tired, older glint to his eyes that didn't belong on the face of someone so young. Charlotte couldn't quite explain it. “I just want one of you to give me a straight answer.”

“Well, I can't,” Second said.

K raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because I'm not straight,” he answered.

Lorcan and Herobrine both tried to reign in the laughter erupting from within, but failed miserably. Charlotte was left pleasantly surprised. And K, staring at Second with a complete look of disbelief, said, “Did you really just do that?”

Second just smiled.

K massaged his temples. “And _this_ is why I hate being stuck with teenagers,” he said, groaning. “This is supposed to be a serious meeting where we discuss the impeding doom of the gods-”

Herobrine abruptly stopped laughing. “Something is going to happen to them?”

K swore under his breath. “Yes.”

Noticing the change in mood, Lorcan's laughter also died down. A chill was racing up Charlotte's spine. Everyone around them continued to chat about mundane, everyday things, oblivious to the the world shattering conversation occurring only feet away.

“What is going to happen?” Herobrine asked, an urgency to his voice. He looked over at K. He was clearly intrigued by what he had said, though Charlotte could barely grasp the implications of K's comment. Her mind was focused on something else. His hatred of teenagers was surprisingly strong for someone who had to be her age.

K studied his fingernails. “A little bit of revenge.”

Herobrine pushed his chair back. There was a frantic sort of terror to his actions, fear flickering across his face as he stared down at K. The seemingly young boy paid his reaction no attention. “We need to go,” he said. “Now.”

Lorcan furrowed his brow. “Hero, what's wrong?”

“My books talked about a fallen god,” Herobrine said, his voice trembling. He hadn't been like this when they had first met, and he must have felt scared then. What made him so terrified now? “That he had corrupted those of the End, and that he had swore to unleash his wrath on the gods that had killed him in his dying breath.”

K gave an impressed whistle. “Sounds like a terrifying guy.”

“His name was Kartiel.”

Second, Lorcan and Charlotte slowly looked from Herobrine to K. He was swinging his legs back and forth, purple eyes still trained on his fingernails. He glanced up. Noticing the expressions of alarm on all of their faces, he raised his hands in mock surrender. “You've caught me! I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner. King Kartiel of the End, at your service.”

“But didn't you die?” Lorcan whispered.

“I did,” he admitted, “but now I inhabit this body. Revenge does wonderful things for the soul. I'm sure you've been taught about how I was going to destroy the world. Well, I plan on continuing where I left off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the chapter! I was so excited for K's introduction that I somehow managed to write it in one day. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Please let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

### Chapter 1

#### Charlotte

There was so many things she could say that, but the one that she eventually settled on was perhaps the stupidest of all. She regretted the moment it came out of her mouth. Kartiel had already belittled her, and this would no doubt add fuel to the fire.

“You're evil,” she said.

He rested his elbows on the table and cupped his chin in his hands. Tilting his head ever so slightly, he looked over at her with amusement clearly written on his face. “I prefer morally ambiguous or antagonistic. There is something interesting about how quick people are to call me that, though. And you haven't even gotten to know me yet!” 

Second grabbed onto Lorcan's arm. She knew he was trying his hardest not to look afraid, but his lip was quivering and tears were beginning to form in the corner of his eyes. Lorcan was no better. His skin had turned an incredibly light shade of pale, his hands trembling as he placed them on the table.

Kartiel observed this with a strange look to his eyes. Whatever amusement he had taken out of Charlotte's response was not also found in theirs; he seemed visibly deflated by their reaction. Then he looked up at Hero, and life reignited in his eyes. The swiftness of the switch was shocking to see.

“So, Herobrine, how did you get here?” he asked.

Herobrine was silent.

“Come on,” he added. “It won't hurt to tell me, would it?”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “If I tell you, you're going to destroy it. I can't-I can't let you destroy Minecraftia. Not when I've worked so hard.”

“That's what I hate about gods like you,” Kartiel scoffed. The corner of his eyes turned up, hinting at a hidden smile underneath his surgical mask. The sight was downright unnerving, and Charlotte desperately wished she was somewhere else. “It's all about you. But I guess I really am your kin, as I've been reduced to a revenge-driven legend.” 

From the depths of his hoodie, a ping resounded. He slipped his hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a surprisingly familiar phone. She had seen it somewhere, hadn't she? She had never met Kartiel before, but he had an air of familiarity that she couldn't ignore. 

Much like when a player in a card game momentarily forgets the competition and accidentally displays their deck, Kartiel briefly placed his phone on the table. And it was in that moment that she caught a glimpse of his message history. The farthest down were the names of her peers, all seeming to ask for advice in a variety of subjects. She saw her own name peeking out from the middle. And, at the very top, there was the sender of the most recent message. His finger blocked the name as he clicked on it, but she saw the number long enough to realize it was familiar.

Then he realized she could see his phone, and he abruptly exited out of the app and shoved his cell into his pocket. The phone angrily pinged in response.

“This conversation isn't over,” he said. He pushed his chair back. “I will get my answers, no matter what it takes. You'll hear from me soon.”

She knew his voice.

Her eyes widened, and she reached out a hand – to grab onto him, to block him from leaving; she wasn't really sure. But he had already disappeared among the sea of people, his hood bobbing in and out of the aisles between the tables.

Herobrine hesitantly sat back down. Second absentmindedly grabbed another munchkin. Lorcan anxiously bit his lip. And Charlotte frantically pulled her own phone out, scrolling through her contacts in search of the one she had seen in Kartiel's all too familiar phone. If the others were watching her, she was oblivious to their curious stares. She needed to confirm what she knew was true. They hadn't talked in ages, but a text wouldn't seem out of the blue. Not when her explanation for it was quite close to the truth.

_Hey Juniper._

A minute passed. She held her breath, heart hammering in her chest as she waited for a response.

_hey_

_I thought I saw Levi at the mall? Is he here, or did I almost say hi to a complete stranger?_ She felt horrible for lying, but what else could she do? It wasn't like she could straight out ask if her guess was right.

_yeah he is_

_get him to check his phone_

_nvm_

A horrible, sinking feeling settled in her gut. It had been Levi's phone that Kartiel had pulled out; she had recognized the phone case from the times they had to turn their phones in to their teachers during tests. She would have recognized that bland case anywhere. Even if she hadn't, the number he had gotten a message from was Juniper's. 

“Charlotte?” Lorcan quietly asked.

It had been so obvious! She had been a fool for not noticing it sooner. Every aspect of his appearance was meant to hide his identity. The combination of the surgical mask and eyeliner had made his face nearly unrecognizable. 

“Charlotte?” Lorcan repeated, this time reaching a hand out and grabbing onto her wrist. She jerked up and stared at him. His already gentle gaze softened. “What's wrong?”

Her voice was quiet. “Kartiel said he was inhabiting a body.”

Herobrine slid into the seat beside her. “A classmate?”

“Remember how I mentioned my rival a few days ago?” she asked, her voice shaking as she tried to get out the revelation she had come to. It was difficult address something that was so horrible, especially when she realized that there was nothing they could do to help him. “That was Levi's phone, and Kartiel got a message from Juniper.”

They all exchanged looks.

She hung her head down. “I don't think Kartiel has complete control. Otherwise he would have done more drastic stuff, right? But he was still able to take control of Levi right now to talk to us.” 

“That's terrible!” Second cried out, blushing when the people in the nearby tables turned to see the source of the exclamation.

Her grip on her phone tightened. “I'm not magic like you guys. I don't even know anything about Kartiel. I hate Levi, too. But he doesn't deserve to have his body hijacked. I want to save him...”

“I can tell you about Kartiel,” Herobrine offered, solemnly reaching his hand out and grabbing a munchkin. He placed it in her hand. She hadn't wanted it, but the thought was appreciated.

“Please tell me,” she asked. She took a small bite out of the munchkin, expectantly waiting for the explanation she needed. If she knew more about what they were up against, maybe – just maybe – she could rescue Levi.

Herobrine folded his hands and placed them on the table. “I had some books in my cavern years ago. One went into great depth about him. Kartiel is a demigod. His mother was a powerful goddess, but his father was the king of the End. The gods tried raising him in their ways.”

“Tried?” she asked.

He nodded. “The prophecy...the prophecy has been around for several decades. When Kartiel was born, they were sure he was the child of darkness. He always fought back against their teachings. He eventually hid himself away in his father's kingdom. They say that's where his heart truly became corrupt.”

She grabbed onto his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His fear of Kartiel suddenly made even more sense. Not only was he a threat, but he was the person that the gods feared he would become. Kartiel was the true “Herobrine”, in a sense. He was the one that was evil, and was the one that should be feared. Herobrine saw him as an ending he desperately needed to escape.

“He killed his father and took his throne,” Herobrine continued, giving her a grateful little smile. Her heart fluttered when the smile registered. “When he was given his father's crown, he promised to make the prophecy ring true. He used his magic to enchant the End; the people there followed him blindly. The gods were only able to kill him after concocting a carefully thought out plan. His most trusted adviser, who had taken the role prior to him becoming king, joined the side of the gods and killed Kartiel when he least expected it.”

“And his dying words were that he would get his revenge,” Second ominously added, peeking out from behind Lorcan's arm. 

Charlotte gulped. “What about his powers?”

Herobrine shook his head. “The book didn't say...I don't think anyone knew, except for that adviser...” 

How was she ever going to save Levi?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I admit that I've written this later into the night than I usually do, so the quality may not be as good as it usually is. But I really wanted to move past this point in the story and reveal the secret I've been hinting at for awhile. What are your thoughts?


	16. Chapter 16

### Chapter 16

#### Charlotte

Knowing Kartiel's life story wasn't enough to save Levi. They needed more than that. Strengths, weaknesses – those would be where their solution lied. But with no connection to his homeland, save for three equally ignorant people, how she could even begin to learn about those? She could talk to Levi. That was always an option. Yet even that wasn't a foolproof plan. Kartiel could take control, or, worse, harm Levi when he attempted to tell her the truth.

She stared down at the table. A gloomy mood had settled upon the four of them. Any hopes of enjoying themselves after their meeting with Kartiel had been dashed; now all she could think about was how terrified Levi must have been. 

Did he wake up in strange places, with no memory of how he had gotten there in the first place? Or was he painfully aware of what Kartiel did while in control, prevented from ever speaking of those moments in fear of punishment? Neither option sounded pleasant.

“Should I try talking to Levi?” she finally asked, frustrated by their lack of options. She looked up at the three. It didn't sound like the best plan available, but what other choices did they have? “I can see how much he knows.”

They all hesitantly nodded.

She was sure that they could see the possible problems that could arise from such an action, but this was the best she could do. She needed something to start with. Then she could figure out how to free her classmate and prevent Kartiel from destroying Minecraft – or whatever their world was called. 

Herobrine cleared his threat. “Maybe we should go shopping?”

Charlotte looked over at Second and Lorcan. While they seemed understandably upset, both managed little smiles as they started to get to their feet. It would serve as a good distraction. Maybe, just maybe, they would be able to temporarily forget about the threat Kartiel posed.

(Though Charlotte secretly doubted that.)

~v~

They spent the next hour perusing different stores. Clothes were meant to be the main thing that they bought, but Herobrine somehow convinced her to visit the lone bookstore in the entire mall. She was unsure of how he had discovered it; it was hidden among the more popular clothing stores. She had never seen Herobrine as content as he was when he left the store with a bag full of new books. It seemed that she had a bookworm on her hands. 

Lorcan appeared to prefer the more technical items being sold; she ended up promising him her old DS so she wouldn't have to buy an expensive game console. And Second, with a surprisingly bottomless stomach, attempted to convince her to buy every food possibly available. 

They eventually ended up in Hot Topic. Having ordered things from their stores for years, she was unprepared for the actual interior of the shop. It was dark and edgy. Herobrine and Lorcan, oddly enough, looked as if they belonged among the towering displays, though both looked deeply uncomfortable. It was the brightly dressed Second who bounced from item to item, eagerly showing them his newest discovery.

She smiled. There was something heartwarming about the exchange, and she opted to explore more of the store while they had their fun. She wandered from the anime section to the gaming section. Five Nights at Freddy's merchandise was the first thing that greeted her eyes, but she pushed onward. She knew exactly what she was looking for – Minecraft shirts. The boys would get a kick out of them, and she wanted to replace an old one.

There was someone already in the back corner of the store. His head was down, eyes on the small box of plush toys. He sorted through them with a surprising solemness. As she tried to squeeze between him and a rack displaying earrings, their shoulders brushed together. She opened her mouth to apologize. 

But then he looked up.

Her voice caught in her throat. She had expected to see him at school on Monday. It would have given her time to come up with what she wanted to say, but now she was caught completely off guard. Levi should have never been in Hot Topic in the first place. It wasn't like him – shouldn't he have been in the bookstore on the floor below? His clothes were what he had been wearing at school, rather than the getup Kartiel had on. What had happened to those clothes? 

“Charlotte,” he said. His eyes nervously darted around the shop, momentarily landing on her three roommates before returning to her. He abruptly slammed the enderman plush toy back into the box. “I didn't expect to see you here-” 

He suddenly covered his nose. 

She grit her teeth. Saving him sounded like the right thing to do back at the food court, but now she was reminded of why she hated him so much. “Just drop it, Levi. I get it. You think I smell.”

“I can't,” he argued, crossing his arms. “You smell so strong-I honestly should have smelled you coming, but I was just too preoccupied with this.”

“Why?” she asked, exasperated.

He stared. “Why what?”

“Why do you go out of your way to insult me?” She took a step closer to him, mirroring his folded arms and giving him the most intimidating glare she could muster. “Is it because I don't do as well as you in class? Because I'm an easy target with no friends?”

Green eyes widened from behind his glasses. He opened his mouth to speak, only to close it and glance over at the three boys on the other side of the store. Then he looked back at her. “Aren't they your friends?”

“We just met last week,” she said.

“I've made friends in less than an hour,” he argued.

She sighed. “It's just that...”

He gestured for her to go on, giving her a surprisingly encouraging smile. She had never expected to get such a look from him. It seemed to fit her classmate, in an odd way. It was entirely genuine, and the type of smile that made her heart swell with an indescribable emotion.

“I can't believe I'm telling you this.” Was this some weird dream? There was no way that Levi would be this nice to her, and no way that she would feel comfortable enough to talk to him. “...I haven't had friends for awhile. I did when I was younger, but I guess they didn't like the person I became. The majority of them went to private high schools. There's still some in ours, but I don't see them much anymore...”

His gaze softened. He took a step towards her, only to back away when he realized how close they would be. “Charlotte, they're not going to leave you.”

“You don't know that.”

He nodded. “You're right. I don't. But you can't let that get you down, okay? You can't give up just because you're scared of something that _might_ happened.” 

She must have appeared as unconvinced as she felt, as Levi only briefly paused before continuing. “I had a best friend when I was little. We were joined at the hip. But he fell in with a bad group of people as we got older, and he ended up leaving me for them. It stung. I had never felt heartbreak like that before, and I let it get the best of me for the longest time. I didn't trust anyone – not even my family.”

How could that be possible? Levi was supposed to have everything: the grades, the looks, the fame. His past was never supposed to be as dark as he had just made it out to be. He was meant to live a world apart from everyone else, but his story made him seemed just like a normal person. He was eerily like her. Something about that made him seem like someone she could trust. Why was she so hopeless? They barely knew each other, and he had spent the past week hurting her feelings!

But, still, she needed to know how he had done it.

“How did you trust again?”

He glanced at the stack of plush toys. “I was with Juniper. We were playing Minecraft together, and she kept trying to give me everything in her inventory because I kept dying. It was a such a little thing, but it made me realize that she honestly cared about me. I started to think about the terrible state of mind I had been in. I didn't want to stay like that. And that, Charlotte, is how I learned to trust again.”

Things fell into place. Levi wasn't just her rival; he was her goal. She wanted to achieve what he had achieved. It might have seemed easy for him, but his road had been just as rocky as her own. His rocks had just come a little earlier in life. If she could push them off the path and clear her way, couldn't she get to that point, too?

“Thanks,” she managed to get out.

He shrugged. “I just didn't want you to make the same mistakes that I did, especially when you're on the verge of change.”

She raised an eyebrow, suddenly recalling why she had entered this conversation in the first place. “You never answered my question, by the way. I'm still waiting for an explanation.” 

“You smell,” he said.

She wanted to groan. Hadn't they just gotten past this point? She had thought he would drop it now that they talked. “Worse than garbage, according to you.” 

“It's not an insult!” he protested.

“Sounds like it.”

“It's actually a compliment,” he argued, a completely serious look on his face. She wasn't buying a single bit of it. “I worded things badly. I'm sorry. I was just surprised by it, and I didn't think straight. You know how someone can buy an absolutely terrible candle but love the smell of it? It's like that.”

“That's the weakest excuse I've ever heard.”

He scratched his hair. “Your friends smell that way, too. I can't explain it that well, but it's incredibly enticing for me. Juniper says I have a strange smell, as well. I'm assuming that it's like yours, since she compared it to your tall friend over there. I'm sure you'll notice it soon. You just need to be around it for awhile before you smell it.”

She glanced over at her friends. A stupid idea was beginning to form, one that couldn't possibly be true. Fiction said that it would be something pleasant, right? Not something like garbage. But it was a connection that they all shared, and he had only noticed it after she had met Herobrine, Lorcan and Second.

Levi was smelling magic.

He grabbed the enderman plush toy, as well as one of the hats from the Five Nights at Freddy's display. “I'm sorry for insulting you,” he apologized, heading to the register. “See you on Monday?”

She smiled. “Yeah.”

As he paid for his items and left the store, she realized she had never asked him about Kartiel. But that was alright. They would see each other on Monday, and the conversation had been more helpful than a conversation about Kartiel could have ever been.

Besides, she had some friends she needed to get back to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was one of my favorites so far. Levi and Charlotte's conversation reflects the type of conversation I would have with my past self; if I could, I would have told her to go out there and try making friends. I've been hinting at Charlotte's uncertainty with her friends for several chapters - she's made a point of referring to them by her name or as her roommates. This chapter marks the first time she's felt safe enough to call them her friends.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave me a comment to let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

### Chapter 17

#### Charlotte

The weekend flew by in a blur. Between homework, teaching the boys about Earth (they were awed by the power of the internet), and just hanging out with them, there wasn't much time to just sit and think. Yet she had no qualms about the loss of free time. Many weekends had been spent contemplating what could have been in the past. Now, after countless years, her growing sadness had been whisked away by her new friends. They had become closer than she could have possibly expected when they first appeared, and the thought of learning more about them brought a smile to her face.

The future was uncertain; she didn't know how long they could stay together, and what terror Kartiel would bring to both of their worlds. If she could somehow change their fates, she would make it so their time together would never end.

But when Monday morning eventually arrived, Charlotte greeted it with an eagerness unlike any Monday before. School had always been something to be afraid of in the past. Levi had changed that with a single conversation. With a skip to her step the entire walk, Charlotte hurried to school.

She caught him just as he was exiting the bus. Or, rather, she almost did. His sister following close behind him, he descended the down the stairs inside and appeared outside the bus. He looked around. Their eyes momentarily met. Charlotte raised her hand in greeting, but then Levi ducked his head and rushed into the crowd of teenagers entering the school.

 _Liar._ So eager to tell her stories of trust and friendship, only to disregard what he had claimed to be the truth. She desperately wanted to tell him exactly what she thought of him, but he stubbornly evaded her the rest of the morning.

Any glimpse of him would last only for a moment before he turned down another hallway. By the time homeroom rolled around, she was certain that he was going out of his way to avoid her. She glared daggers at him all through homeroom. His avoidance and her increasing frustrating with the aforementioned action persisted throughout the rest of their classes. Asking him about Kartiel was out of the question now, even if she had come up with a way to approach the subject.

She wasn't even sure if he was worth saving.

~v~

She found him standing by her locker at dismissal.

His eyes looked around the hallway with an unfamiliar wariness. When he caught sight of her, a brief look of terror grasped his features. His eyes temporarily widened behind his glasses, and he paled. But almost quickly as the change had occurred, he regained his facade.

“I need your help,” he said. His voice was monotone, and he wasn't meeting her eyes.

She pushed him out of the way. Ignoring the surging crowd of people moving down the hallway, she threw her locker open. Metal slammed into metal. Heads turned. Noticing how upset Charlotte was, some of her peers began to whisper about the action. Levi straightened. He seemed visibly startled. 

She jerked one of her textbooks out of her locker. “I can't help.”

“You don't even know what I'm asking!” 

She shoved the book into her backpack. “You avoided me.”

His shoulders slumped. “I might have.”

“I thought we had a _thing_ ,” she vaguely said, unsure of how to describe a friendship that hadn't quite started. “We told me about trusting people. But I can't even trust the person who told me that, can I?”

He crossed his arms, resting against the locker beside hers. He almost jumped away from it when she slammed her own shut, but stubbornly stayed exactly where he was. “You smell odd,” he admitted. “It smells familiar – even more familiar than how it normally does. It gives me a bad feeling. I didn't want to avoid you, but...”

Her gaze softened. If she gained the smell of magic because of interaction with her friends, didn't that mean she would have gained it after interacting with Kartiel? Of course it would seem familiar to him. Kartiel was somewhere deep inside of him, and some part of Levi must have sensed the danger.

“So why talk to me now?”

He gave her a sheepish smile. “There's a staff meeting after school tomorrow, and they're presenting posters about various clubs. Ms. Renere completely forgot about the one for the GSA. Since the president is sick today, she asked me if I could make it. But I'm not that artistic, and you've always been good at making stuff like that look good.”

“You want me to make it?” she asked in disbelief. 

He shook his head. “Not just you. I'll work on it too. I just could really use the help, since the GSA doesn't have much of a presence in the school as it is.”

That was something she could agree with.

“Alright,” she said, “let's go make that poster.”

~v~

She glanced out the window into the woods beyond the school. Mist trailed around the trunks of ancient trees, animals scurrying from shadow to shadow. The sun had rolled behind the clouds during dismissal, and, an hour later, was still hiding behind them. It was dark and eerie world outside of the school. She shuddered, glad that she was in the safety of the brick building.

Levi gave a triumphant cry from the other side of the art room. She turned. Waving a ruler above his head as he got back to his feet, he grinned at her. “I found the ruler! Now we can add that line under the title, and call it done.”

He rejoined her by the side of the table.

“It sure is spooky outside, isn't it?” he asked. “I've seen worse, but there's still something unnerving about mist blanketing a mysterious forest.”

“A forest that we've lived near for years,” she teased him, though her views on the forest perfectly aligned with his. 

They drew the line underneath the bubble letters at the top of the poster. Unsure of what to do next, they both stared at their hard work. It was colorful, informative and fairly presentable. Last minute had never looked so good.

She glanced over at him. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah-”

Something moved in the hallway.

Their eyes met. 

“It's just the janitor,” she tried to reassure herself.

Levi gave a slow nod. “Or another student staying after.”

“Possibly a teacher,” she added.

Curses resounded through the hallway as somethings that were certainly not flesh bumped into each other. Levi's grip on the ruler tightened, and Charlotte found herself gripped by a terrible fear. She could hear arrows being drawn from quivers as what was out there passed by their room.

A skull peeked into the window.

It was a skeleton. The door was thrown open. Charlotte involuntarily clung to Levi, quite sure that she was about to die. She knew that she wouldn't be spared. Neither one of them would. But her limbs weren't working properly, and she couldn't form the words needed to warn Levi. Another one of the rifts must have appeared.

And this time, decked in the finest armor possibly imaginable armed with pristine bows, the visitors from the other world were a group of skeletons. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I like to think that I successfully pulled off a cliffhanger, but I suppose you need to see the conclusion of it before I can ask for your opinions on how well I did. I'm excited for what I have planned in the next couple of chapters. Expect lots of magic and possibly the first real fight this fic has ever had!


	18. Chapter 18

### Chapter 18

#### Charlotte

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. The skeleton, noticing the teens, grabbed an arrow from their quiver. Did she want to die staring at the face of her intruder, or with her eyes closed? They casually readied an arrow with a terrifyingly cool precision. They raised the bow. Began to pull back. A sob wrenched itself free from her throat. They stepped forward.

And the arrow was released.

Warmth danced across her skin. The world spun around her. Then they were falling, tumbling through the air as they rolled down a muddy slope. She felt her back bump into something rough. Dirt filled her mouth. Wrenching herself free from Levi's tight grasp, she tried to make sense of the sensory details flooding her. She pushed herself up. Moments later, Levi did the same. They had almost died, but he regarded the school in the distance with a strange air about him.

She tried to recall what had led up to the moment. They had almost been shot, hadn't they? But then they were suddenly here, in the middle of the forest they had been talking about only minutes ago. There was no transition and no explanation. She clearly remembered what had led to this point, so that left no opportunities for someone to have brought her here.

“Levi?” she questioned. 

He turned.

His eyes were purple.

She tensed. Enderman could teleport, couldn't they? And Kartiel had been at least part enderman if he had become ruler of the end. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. An answer had been looking her in the face the entire time. By his very nature, he could teleport and was susceptible to water. She had been too caught up in her worry about Levi to see it.

But that couldn't help her now. Not when they were far from a source of water, and not when they were completely alone. She had to deal with Kartiel without the help of her friends. Could she be the hero of her childhood stories and defeat the evil king? 

The purple faded to green. 

“Charlotte, I swear I can explain,” he hurriedly said. Was it Kartiel or Levi speaking? The eyes were Levi's, but she was dealing with a vengeful god. Wouldn't he try to trick her to get what he wanted? 

She crossed her arms and gave him a look that clearly said she wasn't buying it.

He sighed. “My name isn't Levi Quinn.”

“It's Kartiel.” She rested against the stump of the tree they were under, trying to ignore her racing heart and the shiver running up her spine. “I figured it out after we talked.”

Eyes widened. There was a surprising amount of disbelief written across his face; though he scorned the arrogance of the gods, he had been quite sure that he was one step ahead of her. “You did?”

She nodded.

“But there was the conversation in Hot Topic...?” he objected.

She nodded again.

“So you've known for the past four days?” he asked, bewildered. He gave her a blank look when she continued to confirm his questions. A dejected air overcame him. His shoulders slumped, and he seemed visibly disappointed. “I thought you were stupid.”

She grit her teeth at the insult. “Well, you were wrong.”

“Bad phrasing – I thought you didn't put the pieces together.”

How dumb did he think she was? She had seen Levi's phone, and that was all she needed. He knew the extent of her knowledge. Did he really think that little of her just because he had ruled the End? 

“You can drop the act, Kartiel.”

He tilted his head ever so slightly. “Act...?”

“Stop pretending to be Levi,” she growled.

He furrowed his brow. Sparing himself a brief glance, he kept his gaze trained on her face. There was an irrefutable look of confusion to the way he frowned, and the way he studied her. It was like she was some exotic animal on display in the zoo. And he, the tourist, was unable to explain why she acted the way she did.

So much for being different than the gods.

“You said you figured it out,” he said.

She nodded.

“So why did you just say that?”

“Because it's the truth.”

He shook his head. “This is how I normally act.”

“You expect me to believe that the way you were at the mall was just an act-” He was staring at her. The meaning of the look was clear; yes, he did want her to think that. And for someone who was supposed to be tricking her, the attitude it reflected was oddly convincing.

He placed a hand on his chest. “Charlotte, I was – am – a king. You need to know how to act to get what you want. You were with a god. Gods and I, as you know, don't get along. They're so pretentious that they think they're in the right. After trying to change their perspective for so long, sometimes it's just easier to go with the flow.” 

She did have to admit that the Kartiel from the mall was almost cartoonish in his villainy. When she thought back to how he spoken and the way he had acted, everything had seemed like a performance built upon cliché after cliché. Was Kartiel really telling the truth? It would leave many things unexplained, but she did know that gods were his enemy.

And if they had treated Herobrine so badly, how could she possibly take their side of the argument? Propaganda was nothing new. Even if they had cast Herobrine away, they were the one who had given him his books. He would have been reading the story they wanted the next generation to learn.

She gave him a wary look. “You said you were going to destroy the world. How do you explain that?”

“Oh, I am,” he replied. “Just not in the way you think.”

She raised an eyebrow.

He rested against the stump of the tree they were under, glancing over at her as he continued speaking. “There was this goddess who could tell prophecies. It's absolutely useless talent because you can interpret them however you want, but the gods upheld her word as sacred. She might still be around, for all I know. Anyways, there was a prophecy a little bit before I was born. 'A child of darkness will destroy the world' and so on. Then along comes me, a kid with the power of darkness that happens to be the prince of the End.” 

A chill ran down her spine. That was Herobrine's prophecy, wasn't it? With Kartiel killed, it had never been completed. So they had pushed it onto the next child born with those powers – Herobrine. The thought made her sick. Hadn't they learned from their past mistakes?

“They banished me to the End. My dad told me about the prophecy right before he passed away.” A wistful smile graced his features. “I was thirteen years old and pissed. I was ready to wage war, but then the smart part of me came up with a better idea. I was going to 'destroy' the world by taking away the reverence for the gods. After dying and being reborn, I'm even more determined to do that.”

Being reborn? Didn't he say that he was inhabiting the body he currently had back in the mall? She looked him over. Understanding suddenly dawned on her, and she felt incredibly foolish. Kartiel wasn't trying to trick her; there had been no divide in the first place! Levi and Kartiel were one and the same. She had been becoming friends with her enemy, ironically enough. But she was starting to get the feeling that maybe they weren't enemies after all.

“Herobrine has that same prophecy,” she said. She knew she shouldn't be the one telling him that, but she wanted him to know that they were on the same side. “They kept him in a cavern for years.” 

Kartiel's eyes widened. “They did?”

She nodded.

“What is his magic like?” he asked. He suddenly looked like a kid in a toy shop, which was an incredibly odd thing to see on the face of someone who had been her rival for so long. “Can he create darkness? Manipulate shadows?”

“I don't know,” she sheepishly admitted. “He hasn't been able to access his magic since he got here.”

Kartiel thought for a moment. “How long has he been here?”

“About a week.”

“Interesting,” he said, nodding more to himself than to her. “If I remember correctly, the adjustment period is about five days. Earth's magic runs a bit differently than his world's magic. It would take some time for his body to get used to it. But he should, theoretically, be able to use it now.”

She couldn't wait to tell Herobrine! Then Second and Lorcan could return to their normal forms, and Herobrine could show her what magic was like. She pulled out her phone to call home, only to suddenly remember their current plight. 

She glanced back at the school. “What are we going to do?”

He followed her gaze. “I'm not sure,” he admitted, “but we need to do something. We can't have a bunch of bloodthirsty skeletons roaming around. I have my magic. You have your knowledge of how they got here. We just need to put them together and come up with something.”

“They came through something they called a rift,” she said. There was no use hiding it now. Even if she didn't trust him, they needed to fix this. Telling him the truth was the only option she had. He was the more knowledgeable one out of the two of them, and she was certain he could come up with something.

He gave her a blank look. “A rift?”

Her heart sank. “You don't know what that is, do you?”

“I don't,” he answered. He looked deeply troubled. “How could something like that come about so quickly? I've only been gone for sixteen years!”

“I don't think they know what it is, either,” she tried to add, but he still looked completely dejected. It was hard to understand the source of his sadness. Was it because he was helpless now, or because there was something he couldn't deal with when he returned to his world?

But then he jumped to his feet.

“I've got it,” he said. 

She leaned forward. “You do?”

“We just need to push them back into that rift. It couldn't have been open for long.” He smiled and held out a hand. “Want to save this world with me, Charlotte?” 

She didn't know how she could possibly be useful, but she grabbed onto his hand. He pulled her up. Exchanging one last look, the two began to approach the school. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! While this chapter doesn't do a complete job of explaining Kartiel's character, I plan on having more about his life after they deal with the skeletons. Please let me know what you think of the plot twist!


	19. Chapter 19

### Chapter 19

#### Charlotte

Her stomach twisted and turned. Real life was different than the shows she had grown up on; she didn't gain a sudden burst of courage simply because she was heading into a dangerous situation. If anything, the thought of a confrontation only made her feel even more terrified. Her legs moved out of necessity and not out of a desire to act. She wished she could turn around. But doing so would mean forsaking everyone who would come into contact with the skeletons, and she couldn't let herself do that.

“Have you done something like this before?” she asked. There was movement far off in the forest, but she ignored it. It was just the animals scurrying around.

Kartiel kept his eyes on the school. “I've fought before, but only really in sparring – there wasn't many opportunities for be to out in actual battle.” He curled his hands into fists, though there wasn't anything tense about the action. “But I'm a wildcard. They know I have powers, but they don't know to what extent. For all intents and purposes, I'm just another player.”

The words were likely meant to be reassuring, but her unease only grew. Kartiel's experiences was meant to be comforting. He had been a king when he had died, and kings were supposedly used to terrible situations like this. He was an adult. She needed that guidance in her life right now. She could be independent, but having someone to direct her actions always quelled her fears. And adults were wiser than she was – they knew what to do, even if a situation was strange and unfamiliar.

“Kartiel, how old are you?”

He looked over at her.

She bit her lip, not bothering to hide the concern on her face. She was terrified. Knowing that she was in the hands of a trusted adult could help, right? If she could rely on him, then her fears would all fall away. He had years of experience under his belt. He probably had been a war-hardened king. He didn't strike her as old and wise, but who knew how long a god or an enderman would live? He sighed. “Thirty-five.”

“When you died?” she hopefully asked. There was more rustling in the depths of the woods. Hidden among the coiling mist and gnarled trees, something was making its way in their direction. The noise was growing louder and more defined, but Charlotte, frankly, didn't care. 

He shook his head. “Now. And I'm not sure how old I am mentally...” He pointed at his forehead. “I have to take into account both my old body's development and this one's, as well as my experiences as Levi.”

She did the math.

Her heart sank. “You were _nineteen_?”

“I was,” he admitted. The memory seemed to visibly pain him, and he turned his attention back to the quickly approaching building ahead of them. “But it's a different kind of a nineteen, I think. Not the nineteen here. You'll have worries about college and what you'll do when you graduate, but it wasn't like that. I had to worry about ruling a kingdom, and how to stay one step ahead of the gods.”

She felt sick. 

“But you were only nineteen.”

He shrugged. “So?”

“They killed a teenager,” she said. “You had so much ahead of you! They could have taken you prisoner, or not had that conflict in the first place.”

Kartiel gave a bitter laugh. “That's what war is, Charlotte. Killing is the easiest way to victory, even when you would be tried for murder in peacetime.”

They stopped at the edge of the trees. Ducking behind a small row of bushes, they peered into the first floor windows of the school. She didn't want their conversation to end so soon, but she could faintly make out the shapes of people moving about. It was impossible to tell if they were human or not. The only indicator that they might not be was the calmness in which they walked; the school's remaining occupants would have been hurrying to and from each room if they had discovered the skeletons.

Something slammed into her. 

She uttered a startled cry. Whipping his head around, Kartiel stared at her with what could only be described as a look of confusion. 

Whatever had hit her was small. She glanced down behind her. A noticeably dazed bat had fallen to the ground between Charlotte and Kartiel. Its blue eyes unsteadily blinked. There was a small nick in its right ear, and its fur was a soft shade of brown. Charlotte, having never seen a bat this close in real life, screamed. And Kartiel, who apparently had also never encountered an actual bat, also screamed. 

While Charlotte had no care for the noise she was making, she was horrified at the thought of Kartiel's screams alerting the skeletons to their location. She frantically covered his mouth with her hand, though the action was made even more awkward by the presence of the bat between them and Kartiel's own attempts to do the same to her.

They both fell silent.

But the damage had been done. 

A terrifying being burst forth from the depths of the woods, clad in darkness and the mist that penetrated every inch of the forest. 

It towered above the two. Its darkness served as its armor, but the darkness was constantly moving. Two bright lights peered out from the depths of the darkness; those, she guessed, were its eyes. One arm clutched something close to its chest. It raised a sword of darkness and wildly looked about.

Kartiel jumped to his feet. Eyes flashing purple, he took a confident step towards the dark being. She watched with a horrific amusement as scales began to grow at an alarmingly fast rate from his skin. He retained his human appearance, but there was an undeniable enderman touch to it.

A pair of brown eyes nervously peeked over the being's arm, peering out from what could only be called a gelatin like creature. Why was this thing being held by such a terrifying being? And why was she getting such a familiar feeling from the combination of the two?

The bat suddenly popped up in front of her face.

She began to utter another scream-

Only to be stopped by warm, human hands being pressed against her lips in an effort to silence her. Her mind spun. She could barely comprehend the events that had occurred in the past minute. Hadn't Kartiel's sudden reveal been enough of a surprise? But the boy awkwardly kneeling before her was undoubtedly Lorcan, blushing furiously.

“Oh!” Kartiel cried out, hurriedly looking away. “He's _naked_.”

Honestly, seeing Lorcan naked was only a shock the first time.

She rested her hand on Lorcan's wrist and pushed his arm down. Getting the message, he removed his hand and ducked his head in embarrassment. It hadn't been a problem back when they first met, but she suspected that it was Kartiel that was causing him to feel uncomfortable.

“I'm sorry for screaming at you,” she apologized. 

Lorcan shifted his weight from one side to the other.

“I'm not used to seeing you like that,” she admitted, trying to end an awkward conversation that was entirely her fault.

She looked up at the being of darkness; she had been too terrified to notice it earlier, but its sword hand was shaking and it was holding the blob in a protective manner. If Lorcan had been able to go from a bat to a human, it only meant one thing: they knew that Herobrine's magic had returned. 

The blob wriggled itself free from the dark being's arms and hopped to the ground. It stopped at Charlotte's feet, giving her a very eager and expectant stare. Though seeing a pair of brown eyes and what was clearly a mouth in the middle of green slime was initially disconcerting, she quickly decided that her friend was quite cute.

“Hi, Second,” she said.

He grinned. “Hi, Charlotte!”

could she ever get used to hearing his voice come out of such a strange little body? It was disorientating to hear that voice come out of something other than the green-haired boy's mouth. She suspected that hearing Lorcan's voice from his actual form would be just as weird.

“Your friend is still naked, Charlotte,” Kartiel said. With his back turned to her, it was impossible to read the expression on his face. But from his insistence not to look in Lorcan's direction, she had her suspicions that he was quite flustered. 

Lorcan sent a desperate look in the dark being's direction. Though it acknowledged the plead with a slight nod of the head, it kept the shaking tip of its sword pointed in the former king of the End's direction. “Let her go, Kartiel.” The voice was distorted by the darkness covering its mouth, but she had been hearing it consistently for the past week.

Kartiel put his arm out in front of Charlotte. “Hm. Let me think about it...” He paused, then answered, “How does 'no' sound-”

“Kartiel, that's Herobrine,” she interrupted, pushing his arm down and walking over to her friend. It was impossible to tell what his expression was due to the darkness hiding his features, but the looks of confusion on both Second and Lorcan's face were a good indicator of how he had reacted to what she had said. 

Herobrine lowered the sword. “You're friends now?”

“It's a long story,” she admitted.

“One that we don't have time for,” Kartiel added, gesturing back at the school behind them. “There's some bloodthirsty skeletons in there that want to murder the humans in there. If we don't act soon, they'll do exactly that. So let's put aside our differences and stop a massacre. Deal?”

Herobrine, Lorcan and Second looked at each other.

Herobrine glanced over at Charlotte, who was putting her thumbs up in agreement with Kartiel's proposition, then hesitatingly nodded.

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! I'm sorry for not updating in so long. I temporarily lost my muse for this fic, but I had an almost complete chapter saved on my computer and decided to finish it. This one is actually one of my favorites so far, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


	20. Chapter 20

### Chapter 20

#### Juniper

Levi and her had an unspoken rule. If both of them were staying after, they would wait for the other in the lobby and leave together. Though neither had ever directly addressed it, they took special care into guaranteeing that they would be able to meet up. He had been distracted all weekend. It hadn't been hard for her to see. And she had tried asking, but he had stubbornly avoided every single one of her questions. But even though his mood had been a little off, she had never expected that he would leave without her.

She was standing by the door, staring dismally down at her phone. They had texted when they would both be done last period. It had been nearly twenty minutes since he should have finished, and he had sent no texts saying that he was running late. He had completely forgotten about her.

She bit her lip and tried not to think about how much it hurt. But trying to avoid the subject only made it hurt more, and, before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Levi wasn't the type to forget about her. He could be annoying as all hell, but they were siblings. It was expected, just as he was expected to be there for his sister. He had never left her alone-

No, he had. It had been a long time ago, so long ago that the memories had become buried under years of new ones. Levi had once been a very different person. He had been cold. Apathetic. Broken, though he had been too young to experience true hurt. And that Levi had hated her with every fiber of his being, no matter what she did to make him smile. She still saw glimpses of that side to him now. When she thought back on how he had acted the past few days, the similarities between his younger self and his older self were startling.

Had he forgotten about her because he no longer cared?

She slipped her phone into her pocket. He may have been running late and didn't think of texting her. Though that would have normally been a cause for irritation, she would take that over being outright forgotten. She tried to remember what he had said he would be doing. A poster for GSA, right? She would go to the GSA room first. If that plan failed, he was likely in the art room. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and began to head through the school.

As she started to climb up the stairs that led to the second floor, a strange feeling overcame her. The room felt undeniably odd. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what was the root of the problem, but something wasn't right. She stepped into the hallway and stood still for a moment. Common sense kicked in. If her instincts were telling her that something was wrong, she needed to figure out what it was.

The air was humid. Hot and muggy, almost like summer. But it was past October; when she had gone to school that morning, she had needed a jacket. The temperature wasn't the only odd thing. A distinct smell had filled this section of the school, one that she recognized in a heartbeat. It was what Levi smelled like. She knew it wasn't normal for someone to have such a strong smell, but Levi had never been normal. She doubted he was the source of the smell this time – something else was at fault. Maybe a leak of some sort, or something rotten? She might have just been mistaking the smell for that. But even that explanation sounded weak to her. 

Someone started to leave one of the classrooms at the very end of the hallway. 

Someone whose footsteps were oddly accompanied by the rattling of bones, as if they were pushing one of the science classroom's display skeletons. But those should have been on the first floor, and she heard no wheels turning. Her breath caught in her throat. It couldn't be-

A tip of a bow began to peek out of the room.

Eyes widening in horror, she wildly looked around for somewhere to hide. She didn't have time to question whether or not she was jumping to assumptions, nor did she have the time to question why a Minecraft skeleton would be walking around her school. The door behind her was ajar just enough for her to slip inside without opening it further. Hopefully, the skeleton would assume that it was just as it had been before.

The room was dark. The only source of light was the light spilling in from the hallway, the blinds having been shut and the dim lights of the classroom having been turned off. That should have been a warning sign that someone else was in the room, but she was too focused on almost getting killed by a skeleton to care.

As her eyes began to finally adjust to the light, she could just make out the outlines of boxes piled haphazardly across the ground and on the counters lining the walls. She must have entered one of the old classrooms, ones that had fallen out of teaching use and were now where all the spare materials were kept. A wonderful place to hide, once she maneuvered her way through it all. 

She started to make her way towards the other end of the room when she heard the footsteps in the hallway growing louder. The skeleton was quickly approaching the room. In a matter of seconds, it would be at the door. She dove behind the nearest box, prayed to God that she would be alright and closed her eyes as tightly as she could. 

The skeleton stopped in front of the classroom's door.

She held her breath, waiting for the skeleton's inevitable entry and her inevitable doom. She had never put much thought into how much it would hurt to get shot by an arrow, but, now that she had nothing else to think about, she started to suspect that it would like no pain had ever before. 

She heard it walk away.

She wanted to cry out with joy and relief, but she kept silent and remained where she was. It was only when she heard it head down the nearby stairs that she allowed herself to leave her hiding place. 

And then immediately found a sword pointed at her throat.

Now she wanted to _actually_ cry. She had been so close to safety, but now she was in an even worse situation than before! The sword's strange design certainly didn't help. It was made of some dark metal, with what appeared to be moving strands of darkness coming off of it at various points. It wasn't something she had ever seen in Minecraft, but it had been a long time since she had played it. The only way to explain it was if it was from a new update.

And a passive mob would never have a weapon like that!

She closed her eyes tightly and waited for her death.

“You-You're Juniper, aren't you?”

Why was the voice familiar?

The sword was removed from her neck, and she hesitantly opened her eyes. It took a moment for the sight of her former attacker to register. Long black hair, thrown up in a ponytail. Piercing yet worried blue eyes. A minuscule nick in his left ear, only noticeable when he had his hair back. 

She was looking at the guy that she met last week, the one that had been hanging around with Charlotte Hart. It was when she looked closer that she noticed something that had eluded her the first time they had run into each other. A pair of _fangs_ glinted in the light spilling in from the hallway. How had she missed those before?

“You're a vampire,” she managed to get out. “I'm-I'm talking to a _vampire_. You shouldn't be real but you're right in front of me and I'm talking to you and I can see your fangs-” 

She paled. It was one thing to run from danger when it was far away; it was another thing to try when it was only a foot away. Her hands protectively covered her neck. In the bigger scheme of things, it wouldn't help much. But, in the moment, it made her feel just a little more protected than before. 

“You know my name,” she suddenly realized. It was amazing how a mind worked when its owner was absolutely petrified with fear. Things that should have been some of the first thoughts a person had became some of the last. “I-I never told you it!” 

He glanced at the slightly open door, then back at her. Worry flickered across his face. “Charlotte told me.” If it was meant to reassure her like the tone suggested, it failed spectacularly. 

“Oh God,” she said. “Charlotte is friends with a _vampire_.”

“I'm not a vampire,” he hurriedly whispered. 

She scoffed at the comment. “Then what are you?”

He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “I can't tell you that.” Then he raised his sword and pointed the tip of it at the open door. And Juniper, who had been convinced he was about to attack her again, let out a loud sigh. “But you should be more worried about the skeletons out there.”

“You're the vampire with the sword who almost chopped my head off a minute ago!” 

Something about her response must have annoyed him, as he dropped the whole reassuring act and decide to go straight for an exasperated shout back. “I thought you were one of the skeletons!” 

“Well, that's just stupid!” She angrily gestured at the door. “Only someone trying to run from them would come in here. You know, I thought vampires were supposed to be absolutely ancient. You should have figured that out after being around for so long.”

“I'm not a vampire,” he protested, gritting his teeth together. “And there are some very terrifying people here, Juniper, ones that would cause even a skeleton to shake in fear. Second, Herobrine, your brother-”

Which part of that was she supposed to react first to? The part where he suggested that her brother was someone to be feared, or the part where he mentioned _Herobrine_ being in her school? Just the thought of him being on the same floor as her made her shiver in fear. But, considering the fact that she almost killed by a skeleton and then a vampire, the bit about Herobrine shouldn't have been all that surprising.

“Those skeletons must be cowards if they're scared of my brother,” she said. “And you must be one, too, if you think he's someone to be afraid of.”

“He's a vengeful god who wants to destroy Minecraftia! What part of that isn't terrifying!?” 

“He's a _what_ -”

The door was flung open.

They both spun around with absolutely murderous expressions on their faces, only to adopt looks of terror when they saw who had entered the room. 

A skeleton was standing in the doorway.

The red pinpricks in its eyes grew smaller as it raised its bow. If she wasn't so terrified, she might have guessed that was how skeletons narrowed their eyes. “Thanks for the help,” it said. Its jaw bones somehow rearranged themselves to look like a grin that should have never been on a skeleton's face. “If it wasn't for your bickering, I would have missed both of you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I struggled to write it because I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go with it, but then I decided to make Juniper show up earlier rather than later. It looks like Lorcan and Juniper are in quite a pickle right now - I wonder how everyone else is doing?


End file.
